


The Sky Grounder

by HecateLove



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Official Linctavia - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-02-26 07:00:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2642528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HecateLove/pseuds/HecateLove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Octavia lived a hidden, solitary life on the Arc. She was discovered and sent to solitary confinement until her 18th birthday. After her capture, she never expected to be sent to Earth, the one place she dreamed of. She bloomed on the planet, loving her new home. Then she is saved by a strange man and her world is turned upside down again. </p>
<p>AU storyline of Octavia and Lincoln's relationship after the fall. Multi-POV</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1- Cruel Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ark is home to the descendants of the survivors of the nuclear war the destroyed the planet 97 years ago. Octavia Blake is an illegal child aboard the Ark. She has lived her life hiding under the floor. When she sneaks out to celebrate with other members of the Ark, Octavia is discovered.

     Octavia Blake was an illegal child, alien to the space station that the human race now called home. Her mother worked as a seamstress for the Arc, and her brother Bellamy was the rightful child in their little family. The circumstances of her birth were never discussed. She was born, and she was placed in a storage compartment in the floor; this is where she lived her life. She was confined to the four grey walls on the days that no visitors were expected, at other times she was required to spend the entire day in her hole in the floor.

 

     She spent much of her time dreaming about being a normal child like her brother. She wasn’t able to go to school like her brother, so she learned everything she could from her small family. They spent their afternoons discussing every topic they could think of, and Octavia memorized every tidbit of information she could. She would daydream about the stories and histories that Bellamy would repeat to her after his school lessons. She had a lot of time to daydream when she was locked in that small box under her mother’s work table.

 

     Somehow, her mother always knew when they were due an inspection, and Octavia would have to return to her hiding spot before the guards appeared to search the cabin. Her mother frequently left their living space to spend time with various members of the Arc, Inspector Grus was one of the more frequent stops. Octavia didn’t think to question her mother for leaving her alone in their room, if she could, Octavia would leave and never return.

 

     On Unity Day when Octavia was 16, Bellamy convinced her that she could finally leave and join the people of the Arc in the celebration. Octavia donned her mask and followed her dear brother out of the doorway that she had never seen open before. She hesitated briefly at the threshold, and then continued walking as she giggled her excitement. She was stunned at the sight of Earth, and immediately she fell in love with the planet that should be her home. She could not fathom how humanity could destroy anything so beautiful. Her brother grabbed her arm and urged her to follow him to the gathering of people that were around her age. He released her when they got close, and she wandered through the crowd, amazed at the number of people surrounding her. She felt like she was finally a normal person, interacting with so many different people who grew up living the life she always wanted.

 

     Suddenly the music and conversations stopped, and the guard entered the large room. Everyone was ordered to remove their masks and present their ID. Octavia had no idea how to react, and she started searching the crowd for her brother. He appeared beside her and she felt mild comfort knowing that he would protect her. Bellamy pleaded with the commander to ignore her presence, but that seemed to intrigue the man even more. Octavia was arrested and taken to the delinquent section and locked in a room. Octavia broke down in tears for being so stupid to leave the safety of her home. Her mother raised her and Bellamy on the warning that if anyone ever discovered that Octavia existed, that she would be executed for having a second child.

           

     Octavia stayed in that cell for what felt like hours. She cried, she blamed herself, and she even blamed her loving brother for tempting her out of her hiding spot. Soon she was retrieved from the cell and brought into the council room. In front of her she saw a group of seven adults that were looking at her with stoic expressions. Her mother and brother were both in cuffs like her and were standing on the side of the room starring at the floor, both looking utterly defeated. Octavia looked back to the group in front of her, knowing that everything she knew and loved depended on what these people decided. The dark-skinned man sitting at the center of the group motioned for Octavia to sit down.

 

     “Do you know who I am, Octavia?” She nervously shook her head back and forth and manages a weak, “No.”

 

     “I am Chancellor Jaha, I oversee the arc with my fellow council members that you see beside me. We have the burden of making decisions for the betterment of the people aboard this station. We must interpret the law and punish crimes. Unfortunately, your presence here is evidence of a grievous crime.”

 

     Octavia looked to her mother again, who was still looking down at the floor beneath her feet and shuddering. She returned her gaze to Chancellor Jaha, unsure of what she was supposed to do.

 

     Jaha could see the fear and pain in the young girl’s eyes. He knew that she was powerless in the circumstances of her birth and life. “The laws that govern the Arc are clear that each family is allowed to have only one child. It is a phenomenal feat that your mother was able to keep her second pregnancy a secret, and that she was able to keep you hidden all these years. But this is a capital crime that we cannot forgive. You were not supposed to be born, but we cannot truly blame you for this. We must, however, punish you the same.”

 

     Octavia gasped at Jaha’s words. She didn’t understand how they could float her for simply being born. She couldn’t help that she was a second child! Octavia knew that looking to her family would again prove useless; she continued looking at the man that spoke to her. “Chancellor Jaha, what is to be my punishment? Am I to be floated?” Octavia remembered her mother’s warnings growing up, that if Octavia were to be discovered, her mother would be floated, released from the Arc into the cold death of space.

 

     Jaha sighed at the young girl’s question. He could understand her confusion and fear. He didn’t understand why the law stated that this child would be punished for being born. “Your crime against the Arc is that you are stealing resources, however unintentionally, from the collective. This is the reason the one child law was set in place. It exists to maintain the balance of resources to the population. Your presence steals oxygen, food, and water from the rest of the people. Do you understand this?”

    

     Octavia nodded her head just enough for Jaha to continue. “Your punishment for the crime of stolen resources will be solitary confinement in the delinquent hall until your eighteenth birthday. You will then be tried for your crimes and your fate will be decided then.”

 

     Octavia was stunned. She was not going to be floated yet, but the idea of a solitary existence for over a year was just as bad of a punishment. At least before today she had the company of her family. Now she would have nothing except four walls and infinite time alone in her head. Tears started streaming down her cheeks, and she looked to her mother and brother again. Finally, they looked back at her, both mirroring the tears she shed.

 

     Two guards suddenly appeared beside her, and each grabbed ahold of an arm. They lifted her to her feet and steered her around to lead her out of the room. She screamed out to her mother and brother, but they were now blocked by guards as well. The two men easily forced her from the room and out into the hall. Octavia finally stopped fighting and let the men pull her down several corridors until they reached the cell she had been waiting in just a short time ago. They deposited her inside and shut the door without ever saying a word to her.

 

     Octavia collapsed on the floor where she stood and let her tears free. She sobbed, screamed, and beat the floor beneath her, cursing her existence and blaming herself for getting caught and killing her mother.


	2. Chapter 2- Isolation and Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia has been in isolation for several weeks and hasn't even seen a guard. While she is daydreaming one afternoon, a visitor suddenly enters her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter dives into some darker themes toward the end. Octavia's punishment will serve the story's plot in the future, and thus will be important several chapters down the line. The time spent on the Arc was more difficult than I thought it would be to write. This is something I think will help in developing the Linctavia relationship, and encourages the fighting spirit that Octavia possesses.

Octavia spent her first few weeks in isolation trying to accept her cursed fate and ignore the pain she had experienced by foolishly leaving her home. She never should have left her hiding spot; she knew well what would happen to her mother if she were to be caught. But she never imagined that she would be punished for her mother’s crime as well. She knew her mother had been floated shortly after her meeting with Chancellor Jaha. Her mother and brother both told her that crimes are tried and punished quickly on the Ark. They must be to maintain control. 

She had no idea what her brother’s fate was. She hoped that he had been spared the same fate as her mother. Bellamy wasn’t responsible for her existence, but he was trying to protect her when she was found. Octavia could do nothing but worry over him and hope that he was ok. 

Octavia’s days were spent in silence. She received three meals a day, which was an improvement on what her mother and brother had been able to sneak to her growing up. Food was monitored very carefully and dispensed so that no food would be wasted. Her nights were spent dreaming of what it would be like to have been born free on Earth. She abandoned her longing to be a normal girl on the Ark, she was no longer so naïve. She dreamt of land that stretched on forever, rich in food, and free from rules. In her mind, she created a beautiful woodland forest that she could spend her life exploring. In her little world, based off of the pictures of Earth that Bellamy showed her when she was young, Octavia was free to live with her little family. No one cared how many children were in a family, because there were more than enough resources for everyone. 

Octavia had been in her small prison cell for a few weeks when she had a visitor. She was surprised when the door opened. She had been receiving all of her meals through a small opening in the door. Her cell contained a small area dedicated to her personal needs, and she exchanged her clothing and dishes through the small portal in the door, so Octavia had not seen anyone since the guards that deposited her here. Octavia looked up at the man entering her room in confusion. 

The man let himself into the cell and closed the door behind him after glancing back at a guard posted outside. He stood in front of her staring down at her. “You look a lot like your mother. Did you know that?” 

Octavia nodded, “Yes, my brother Bellamy told me that often.” 

The man nodded, smiling to himself. Octavia was wary of the man. “I was a friend of your late mothers. I have missed her company terribly this last month.” Octavia felt a cold shiver trail down her back at his words. “It is such a shame that she was floated because you were discovered. Tell me, why did you leave your hiding spot, only to get caught?” 

Octavia wanted to spit in the man’s face for blaming her so directly, but she realized that he just stated what she had been struggling over since she was captured. She blamed herself, but she was trying to forget about everything that she had been through. “I don’t know why I left. I had never seen outside that room, and I wanted so desperately to move about the Ark like everyone else. I wanted to be around the others, I wanted to see the stars and the Earth! I don’t know why I thought I would be able to go about without being found. I was stupid, and I greedy.” She let everything she had kept hidden, even from her own conscious thought, slip out. She felt tears start to well up in her eyes, but she forced them down, refusing to let those emotions take control. 

She looked up into the strange man’s eyes, and she could see the disdain he had for her. He relaxed his gaze slightly and said, “You are right.” 

Octavia was again shocked at the man’s bluntness. “Who are you and why did you come to see me?” She wanted to know if this man’s purpose in coming here was to get information out of her, or simply to torture her.  
“I am Inspector Grus. I was in charge of searching the living quarters in the wing you used to live in. I came to have a look at the child that Aurora kept hidden, even from me. Your mother and I had a special relationship. I gave her information on when I would be coming to inspect her room, and she provided me with certain, comforts, if you will.” He sneered as he spoke, and moved closer to where Octavia was sitting on the bed. “You are responsible for this. I knew she was hiding something, but I never thought it was something like this.” He threw his hands out gesturing at Octavia. “After your mother was floated, I was brought before the council and questioned. They wanted to know why I never found you. I had no excuse, but I was honest in telling them that my men and I never suspected that your mother was hiding a child in her quarters. I was lucky that they believed me. I was demoted from my position, but I was spared my life. Your little trip cost me everything!” Grus was yelling by the end of his declaration. He started pacing back and forth across the small area. 

Octavia had no words. She couldn’t entirely blame the man for blaming her for everything that had happened to him, but she could feel no guilt over it either. “I had no plans on my trip out of the room costing anyone anything.” 

Grus sneered at her, “Well your little trip is going to cost you plenty.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of handcuffs. Octavia stood when she seen the handcuffs, “What are you talking about? I am to stay here until my eighteenth birthday.” 

He laughed as he grabbed her by the arm. “That is very true, that means we have about a year before the council will care about what happens to you. The way I see it, you owe me for never noticing you through the years, and for you spoiling my relationship with your mother.” Grus placed on of the cuffs on the arm he held, and used his grip to maneuver Octavia back onto the bed. Octavia tried to fight him and keep him from cuffing her hands to the bed frame, but she was too weak. She later assumed that if she were not cooped up in her crawl space or their room for her entire life, that she might have put up a better fight. 

Grus climbed onto the bed and hovered over Octavia. Octavia screamed as loud as she could, hoping that perhaps one of the guards would hear her and help her. He started pulling away at her pants and said, “Go ahead and scream all you want, my pretty, there is no one that is going to help you.” Octavia thrashed around, trying to get him off of her. She managed to land her knee into his side, but it barely fazed him. Grus backhanded her cheek, and she had to blink a few time to get her vision to clear. She realized that he finished divesting her of her pants. She continued trying to struggle, but after he hit her again, she gave up. Octavia retreated into her mind, trying to pretend that this wasn’t happening. She remembered what her mother used to say to her when she had to go into her cubby hole under the floor, “Fear is a demon. Close your eyes, tell yourself that you are not afraid. That is how you slay the demon.” She repeated “I am not afraid” over and over in her mind, focusing on it as a mantra. 

When Grus finally finished with her, he moved off her and stood at the edge of the bed. “I will visit again my pretty, and I hope that next time you do not try my patience like you did today. Mine will be the only face you will see until you are tried and punished for your crimes.” He reached down to her and removed the handcuffs. She didn’t even notice when he finally left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that this chapter was not to depressing for everyone. I am working on chapter 3, tentatively titled "Deliverance and the Fall." We should make landfall in the next chapter, and chapter 3 should be a bit longer. Sadly we will not meet Lincoln in chapter 3, but I believe that he might be lurking around in chapter 4.  
> I would love to hear what you think about the story so far, so please leave a review and tell me if the story is good, or if I should change some things.


	3. Chapter 3- Deliverance and the Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia is selected to join a group of 100 teenagers to travel to Earth to see if it is habitable. When the ship lands, Octavia finds a familiar face in the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:  
> This chapter is a bit longer than the last two. I used a lot of direct quotes for the script for this part because I couldn't see a point in changing what happened during the drop, and so I thought it would simply be easier to used how they described it in the show.

After Octavia finally realized that Grus left, she got up and ran to the toilet in the corner of the room. She vomited everything she could into the bowl, and sat there hugging it, crying, for hours. She cried for her mother, and for herself. She cursed her mother for giving birth to her and hiding her away. She couldn’t understand how she could deserve to be treated like this. She lived her entire life caged in a small cell; the only difference now was that she didn’t have her brother with her to protect her.

* * *

 

Octavia had been in isolation for about a year now. She wasn’t positive about how long it had been; she stopped counting after the first month. Her visitor, Inspector Grus, made sure to stop in and torture her nearly every week. Octavia hated the man with a passion, but she was finally able to turn everything off and slip out of the present and into her dreams of living on Earth. Every now and then when she bored him too much, Grus would beat on her until he finally got a reaction out of her.

When Octavia’s cell door opened, she didn’t look up. She assumed that Grus was “visiting” again, so she continued staring off toward the corner. She started repeating to herself, “I am not afraid.” This habit had become innate whenever that door opened. She wasn’t sure if it was even necessary anymore.

“Miss Blake? Octavia Blake?” Octavia turned and looked in confusion at the woman standing just inside her room. She stood up and walked closer to the woman. “Yes?”

“Please come with me, I want to give you a medical evaluation.” Octavia wanted to ask what the point would be, but assumed it would be useless to question. She walked forward and followed the woman into the hall. Two guards followed behind her as they walked through the hall and into the medical wing of the Ark. “You can have a seat Miss Blake,” the woman said as she pointed to a table covered with a thin white sheet.

Octavia sat down on the edge of the table and looked around the room she was now in. The guards didn’t come into the room with them, and the woman had closed the door behind them. The woman walked over to a stool nest to the table and sat down with a tablet screen on her lap. “My name is Abigail Griffin, but you can call me Abby if you’d like. I just want to run a few routine tests if you don’t mind.”

Octavia lightly shook her head, and stared down at the floor. “Okay, well Miss Blake, I would like to ask you some questions first. I’m going to list off some symptoms and I would like for you to tell me if you have been experiencing any of them please.” Abby listed off the symptoms and Octavia simply shook her head for each one. “Alright, not I would like to measure your vitals. Could you extend your left arm please” Octavia lifted her arm and was surprised by the woman’s gentle touch. Just a few moments later the woman continued talking, “All I need now is to take a small amount of blood so I can make sure that you are as healthy as you seem, is that alright?”

Octavia looked up at the woman with confusion. It had been so long since anyone had treated her with any kindness, she hardly knew how she should react. “Will it hurt?” she asked meekly. The woman smiled at her and said, “Yes dear, it will hurt a little bit, but only for a short time. Octavia nodded, and returned to looking at the floor. She felt a slight pinch in her arm, but it didn’t hurt. When the woman was done, she placed a small bandage over the wound and sat back.

“Octavia, I have a daughter about your age.” Octavia looked up at the woman, who apparently wanted to have a conversation. “Her name is Clarke.”

Octavia was confused, Why is this woman being nice to me? Suddenly a machine behind the woman beeped and the computer screen showed a list of numbers. Abby looked over the values on the screen, copied them down onto the tablet in her lap. “Well you are as healthy as can be. I need to give you a shot containing some vaccinations and vitamins, and then we will be finished.”

“I don’t understand, why are you running these tests and giving me medication? I’m an illegal child, why are you wasting these supplies?” Abby looked at Octavia with sadness in her eyes. “You have been chosen for an important job. After we are done here, you will receive a wristband and be moved to a new location. Your isolation is over.”  
Octavia was confused; none of this made any sense. She was not yet eighteen and Chancellor Jaha told her she would remain in isolation until then. She let the woman administer the medication and place the wrist band on her left arm. The band bit sharply into her arm, but Octavia didn’t mind. If her isolation was truly over, she didn’t really care what was happening.

“I wish you all the best of luck Octavia,” Abby said as she helped her down from the table. The two guards entered the room and motioned for Octavia to follow them. She walked down the hall with her head held high. She didn’t know what was happening to her, but she didn’t really care as long as it meant she wouldn’t return to that cell.

* * *

 

Octavia was sitting in a small drop-ship, strapped in with a harness across her chest. She was surrounded by other people about her age; everyone she could see was at the cusp of adulthood. She felt the ship release from the Ark, and they were in free fall. The ship shook violently as they hit the atmosphere.

Suddenly screens around the ship lite up, and she was looking Chancellor Jaha. “Prisoners of The Ark, here me now. You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed, for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable. Those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean. The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain 300 people for up to two years. Mount Weather is life. You must locate those supplies immediately. Your one responsibility is stay alive.”

During the fall, three of the boys in the ship thought it would be a good idea to unlock their harnesses. Octavia couldn’t understand why they would risk not surviving the trip home. She was going home! Octavia couldn’t believe her good fortune to be sent to the only place she could imagine ever being happy, being free.

They continued plummeting toward the ground at a high speed, but finally the thrusters and parachute were triggered and they landed hard on the ground. The silence was deafening. The harnesses unlocked and everyone released themselves. Two of the boys that cut off their harnesses early did survive the landing. “The outer door is on the lowest level,” someone shouted. Everyone scrambled to reach the ladder that lead down.

As Octavia was stepping off the ladder she heard a familiar voice say “if the air is toxic then we are dead anyway.” She was shocked. How could she be hearing her brother’s voice? Tentatively Octavia said, “Bellamy?” She saw him standing by the door and she pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring the voices of the other people mumbling about her.  
Bellamy smiled down at her, “My god, look how big you are.” She hugged him, amazed because she hadn’t imagine that she would see him again. She assumed that he might have been executed, but she couldn’t understand how he made it onto the drop ship filled with underage criminals. She looked him over and noticed what he was wearing. “What the hell are you wearing, a guard's uniform?”

“I borrowed it to get on the drop ship. Someone has got to keep an eye on you.” She hugged him again, not really caring how he got there, only caring that her brother was here with her.

Octavia heard the blond girl standing behind her say “Where's your wristband?” Octavia was mad that someone would interrupt her happy reunion. “Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year.” Octavia heard someone in the crowd say “No one has a brother.” Someone else added “That's Octavia Blake, the girl they found hidden in the floor.” Octavia was angry. She had a lot of anger built up from the last year and that comment pushed her a little too far. She moved to find the person that said that, but Bellamy held her back saying, “Octavia, Octavia, no. Let's give them something else to remember you by.”

“Yeah? Like what?” she said sarcastically. “Like being the first person on the ground in 100 years.” Octavia found joy in her brother’s words. She stepped back as her brother reached up to pull the door release. She stared at the door, waiting for it to open and give her access to her dream.

The door slowly lowered, and the light that came through the opening was blinding. When the door was lowered all the way, Octavia was finally able to see Earth. She looked around and saw trees that reached up to the sky, and that wonderful sky held the magnificent sun. She felt the sunlight and wind brush across her skin, welcoming her home. She breathed deep, smelling the trees and flowers in the forest. She walked down the ramp, looking around her and taking in everything she could. She reached the end of the ramp and jumped down onto the ground, smiling because she couldn’t contain her joy any longer. She threw back her head and lifted her arms and shouted “We're back, bitches!”  
She heard a massive cheer erupt from the crowd behind her, and everyone ran out of the drop ship, cheering and screaming and jumping around. No one could contain their excitement any longer. None of these kids ever expected to make it to Earth. This wasn’t supposed to happen for another hundred years. Most of them expected to receive an execution for their eighteenth birthday. But now they were home.

* * *

 

Octavia had been walking around with her brother, exploring the immediate area a little bit. As they circled back around to the drop ship door, they saw a group arguing about what they thought they should do. The blonde girl the Octavia noticed earlier in ship said, “We're just trying to figure out where we are.”  
Bellamy spoke up saying, “We're on the ground. That not good enough for you?”

Chancellor Jaha’s son turned and walked closer to the siblings. “We need to find Mount Weather. You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority.”  
Octavia was angered at his comment. She didn’t want to take orders from anyone, especially a Jaha. “Screw your father. What, you think you're in charge here, you and your little princess?” She glanced at the blonde.

The blonde looked at her and spoke, “Do you think we care who's in charge? We need to get to Mount Weather not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this'll be. How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a 20-mile trek, ok? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now.”

Bellamy spoke now, “I got a better idea. You two go, find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change.” The crowd that formed around the group voiced they’re agreement with Bellamy’s suggestion.

The younger Jaha spoke again, “You're not listening. We all need to go.” Suddenly a scrawny boy came up from behind and said, “Look at this, everybody the Chancellor of Earth.” He shoved the young Jaha back.

“Think that's funny?” the younger Jaha asked. The scrawny kid took advantage of the other boy’s injured leg and brought him to the ground. The blond moved forward to try to intervene, calling out to him, “Wells.”

The two boys stood, ready to fight is necessary, but the boy that first released his harness, the only one that survived the landing after doing so, jumped down and landed in between the two. “Come on, Murphey. Kid's got one leg. How about you wait until it's a fair fight?”

The scrawny kid walked off, and the crowd finally dispersed, leaving to find something new to entertain them.

Octavia and Bellamy walked off together. Bellamy looked at her and said, “Look, O. I came down here to protect you.”

Octavia didn’t want her brother to protect her anymore. She wanted to finally live. She was free! She couldn’t let anything prevent her from finally living. “I don't need protecting. I have been locked up one way or another all my life. I am done following orders. I need to have fun, Bell. I need to just do something crazy just because I can, and no one, including you, is gonna stop me.”

Bellamy looked down at her, “I can't stay with them, O.” She didn’t understand what he meant. “Now what are you talking about?”

“I did something, ok, to get on the drop ship, something that they will kill me for when they come down. I can't say what it is just yet, but you have to trust me. You do still trust me, don't you?” She was still confused, but her brother was the only person she had left, in this world and on the Ark. She nodded and said “Yeah.”

They wandered back around the ship, and they saw that the blonde was talking to the buy that interrupted the fight. She grabbed his wrist and looked at the band. It had scratch marks on it. “Finn, did you try to take this off?” He shrugged, “Yeah, so?”

“These wristbands transmit your vital signs back to the Ark. My mother designed them so that the Ark can monitor our conditions. If you remove them, they will think you are dead. They won’t follow us down here if they think that we are dying.” Finn nodded solemnly. The group decided to start off in search of Mount Weather.

Bellamy looked down at Octavia. “The guard will come down with the rest of the people if they think the Earth is habitable. We need to remove these bands if we are going to prevent that. I’m going to go talk to some of the others. You should look around some, but please stay close.”

Octavia nodded and watched her brother walk away. She turned and walked into the woods. She wanted to be alone for a little while. She had been alone for so long that she was a little put off by so many people surrounding her and making so much noise. She walked along slowly, touching the trees and staring up into the sky. She found a small patch of flowers in a meadow, and she could resist herself. She threw herself down on the ground and rolled around giggling out loud. This planet was everything she dreamed of and so much more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Please review and let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4- Land and Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sky People have landed on Grounder territory. They are being watched. One of the Sky People is injured and then used as bait. A small group leaves on a rescue mission, and the rest are left to build defense for their home. Octavia feels the need to escape the group and feel the freedom the forest and wind give her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:  
> Hello all,   
> Sorry I made you wait so long! I kept making changes to this and I'm still not completely happy with it. Guess who you get to meet today?

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

It happened in the afternoon; several members of the tribe relayed the tale of the flaming ship that burnt a path through the sky before crashing into the forest a few miles away. Lincoln left with a small group of warriors lead by their matriarch unit leader, Anya, to find the strange object that fell from the sky. The crossed their territory quickly, slowing only when they knew they were close to their destination. Anya signaled for her warriors to spread out and investigate the large drop ship from a distance. Lincoln crept around just inside the cover of trees that weren’t destroyed by the landing. He stopped moving and crouched when he heard a strange sound. He watched in amazement when the ship opened, revealing a group of young adults looking out in wonder and fear.

Lincoln couldn’t keep his eyes off the woman that stepped out first. She was petite, she would probably stand only as tall as his chest, and her chestnut hair flowed down her back. Her eyes shown with so much excitement and joy, she reminded him of the children in the tribe. He looked at the rest of the people, amazed that so many people were exiting the ship.

Lincoln settled into position to watch the Sky People to see what their intentions were. He quickly realized that they were simply happy to be on the ground. From what he could overhear from some of the louder invaders, these people have been living in a larger ship in space. Realizing that these people weren’t aware of the Grounders’ presence, Lincoln retreated from his sentry point to inform Anya of what he was able to find out. The other warriors had similar information to relate. Anya decided that the Sky People were not an immediate threat, and ordered the warriors to remain silent about the people suddenly placed in the middle of Grounder territory. The warriors were split into four groups of three and ordered to patrol the sky people’s camp in six-hour shifts. Each scout would patrol a section of border around the main camp, and try to gather as much information about these strangers as they could.

Lincoln moved back into position to watch the Sky People as they explored around their landing site. They seemed wary of traveling out of sight of their ship. He counted and noted each of the Sky People in his notebook so that his tribe could monitor them. A group began to form, and Lincoln moved closer so he could listen to their conversation. He overheard one of the boys mention Mount Weather, and eased forward so he could better hear what was being said. He watched as the girl he saw step off the ship first stepped forward in anger. The man next to her stepped in front of her in a defensive stance. His suggestion that the two with plans to travel to Mount Weather travelled alone was accepted by the crowd quickly. A fight soon broke out between two of the boys, but it was over just as quickly. Lincoln felt relieved that the group was so disorganized; they would not be a threat to his people.

Lincoln marked in his book that the Sky People were sent here to travel to Mount Weather. Disorganized or not, if these people planned to join the Mountain Men, they were the enemy. Lincoln watched the girl and boy that confronted the small group head out into the woods. He moved silently along with them, listening to them as they walked. He understood that they were siblings for how they spoke to one another. He admired the girl for arguing for her freedom, and him as well for sacrificing so much to protect his sister. He watched them return to the camp and decided it was time to inform Anya of what he learned.

* * *

 

Lincoln hurried back to his camp to seek out his leader. She brought him to talk to the other two scouts that stayed patrolling the camp. All of the men shared the same information. Ninety-nine young men and women exited the ship. Mount Weather was spoken of on all sides of the drop site. Anya ordered the three scouts to return to their posts and monitor movements. She also ordered additional scouts to move out to monitor the border between grounder territory and Mount Weather.

Lincoln quickly returned to his area around the drop ship. He was moving quickly through the forest when he noticed that something about his surroundings was off. He stopped and hid behind a tree so he could place what was wrong. He was surprised at how quietly she moved through the woods. He expected all of the Sky People to like cattle through the woods, but she moved nearly as silently as a Grounder. He watched her as she walked between the trees, caressing them as she passed. She looked at everything in wonder; the moss, the leaves, the sky and the sun. He followed along behind her, enthralled by the joy he could see on her face. He settled into a comfortable position when she discovered the flowers in the meadow. He could hear her giggling and couldn’t help but smile to himself. It was a long time ago that he last seen anyone so happy.

He studied her as she lay in the flowers. He pulled out his journal and began drawing her on one of his pages. He was able to sketch the scene quickly, which was good because she was soon moving on deeper into grounder territory. He could feel her excitement, but he worried about what would happen if she stumbled into the path of one of the other scouts. Lincoln decided that he needed to herd her back toward her people. He ran silently to move in front of her path. He learned to imitate the creatures that lived in these woods at an early age. It worked both as a hunting tool and as a battle tactic to scare prey, so he knew it would work to frighten the girl back the way she came.

* * *

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia heard a deep, grunting sound coming from the shadows in front of her. She stopped and listened, trying to figure out if she actually heard it or not. She heard it again, this time it was longer and louder. The hair on her arms rose to attention and Octavia knew she needed to return to the safety of her camp. She turned around and started running. It was not long after that she heard the noise again, this time close by on her right. She banked to her left without slowing down. A short time later she heard it again, on her left this time. She ran even after her sides began to burn and her legs screamed for relief. When she finally reached the edge of the drop site, she fell against a tree to catch her breath. She didn’t want Bellamy to see her in this condition. She knew he would ban her from leaving the camp again if he thought the forest held any kind of danger.

Octavia was just finishing setting up her tent when Clarke, Wells, Finn, and Monty ran back into camp looking terrified. She and Bellamy went up to them immediately to find out what happened. “We are not alone. There are people in these woods,” Clarke said. Bellamy looked confused and motioned for the group to follow him into his tent.

“Tell me everything that happened,” Bellamy ordered. All four added to the story to inform Bellamy and Octavia that when Jasper discovered they had reached the edge of Mount Weather, he was struck through the chest with a spear. The group fled in fear but soon heard Jasper screaming. They returned to where they left him, only to find that he was gone.

“That spear was thrown with pinpoint accuracy,” Finn said.

“It hit him perfectly to strike him down, but it missed hitting his heart and his lungs. They took Jasper and did something with him! We have to go find him!” Clarke added.

Bellamy looked at each of them and thought for a moment. “We will go and search for him in the morning. It is too close to dark; if we have enemies in these woods, we cannot afford to travel at night and get lost.”

Clarke and Finn argued with Bellamy to form a group and leave immediately, but they finally accepted that it was too dangerous to attempt a rescue at night. Everyone decided soon after to get as much rest as they could and wandered off to their tents to sleep. Bellamy travelled around the camp speaking to the older and stronger men in the group. He arranged for two shifts of guards to patrol the edge of the camp tonight, and ordered a wall to be built the next day.

* * *

 

The next morning a small group convened in Bellamy’s tent to discuss the plans for the day. Bellamy, Clarke, Finn, and Wells would travel out to search for Jasper. Octavia insisted on helping them search. “No Octavia, you are going to stay in camp where you will be safe, Bellamy insisted.

“Bell, I don’t need to be protected anymore! I don’t want to be,” Octavia pleaded with her brother.

Bellamy glanced at his sister, but continued issuing orders. “Murphy, you are in charge of getting a defensive wall built today. It needs to be secure by tonight. Atom, you will watch my sister as if she were your own. She does not leave the camp, and she will not come to any harm. Do you understand me?” Atom nodded, Octavia gasped. Bellamy rose before she had a chance to argue again. The small group of rescuers left quickly.

Octavia was still seething in anger an hour later as she shaped fallen trees for the wall. She looked around for Atom to see if he would notice her leaving. She couldn’t see him anywhere, so she assumed that he was out retrieving more fallen logs. She quickly moved back into the trees, refusing to be ordered and controlled again. She walked silently through the underbrush so that she wouldn’t draw any attention to herself. She relaxed when she could no longer hear the voices from the camp.

Octavia stopped and leaned against a tree. She breathed deeply the perfume of the forest and rested her head back on the trunk. She loved to solitude out here amongst the trees. She always dreamed about being surrounded by people, but she now relished the thought of being alone, surrounded by life as she was now. She resented her brother from trying to keep her away from the peace she found here.

She opened her eyes and saw a blue light above her. Confused, she moved away from the tree and looked at the source of the light. A butterfly was resting on the moss on the tree. Amazed, Octavia moved closer again to look at it. Her movement startled the creature, and it flitted off the tree and flew deeper into the woods. She giggled as she chased after the beautiful thing, and gasped when it lead her into a cove of trees covered by thousands of the glowing butterflies. She eased into the middle of the group and raised her arms out for the ones flying around looking for a place to land.

* * *

 

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

He watched as the woman snuck out of the camp. The other group left to retrieve their wounded comrade shortly after daybreak. He knew that the injured boy was being used as bait, both for the Sky People, and for food. His people decided to use him as an example to warn the Sky People from joining Mount Weather. He studied her as she moved, and he knew she was trying to leave unnoticed. He walked along with her to see why she was sneaking away. Once she was out of sight and sound of the camp, she stopped and leaned against a tree. He watched her breath in deeply and relax against it. He could feel her joy just by looking at her. A butterfly landed above her head and she opened her eyes as if she could feel its presence. She followed it when it floated farther into the woods.

Lincoln was as shocked as she when she entered the breeding group. The butterflies were very nervous creatures and Lincoln knew of no one that ever encountered so many gathered in one place. They seemed to recognize her as a kindred spirit and they took turns floating down to greet her. Her laughter sounded like music as she began spinning with the butterflies.

Lincoln turned and grabbed his spear when he heard movement behind them. He saw one of the men from the camp turn and head toward where the laughter originated. The butterflies sensed what he had, and they flew away, flying higher into the trees to remain hidden. She turned around and her eyes flashed with anger at the intruder.

The man stumbled to a stop in front of her and spoke, “I’m sorry Octavia, but I had to come find you. Your brother ordered me to keep you in the camp and keep you safe.”

Lincoln looked to the woman, _Octavia_ , and heard her as she spoke, “Atom, I don’t want to be followed like a child. My brother is no longer my keeper. I don’t need to be protected.”

Atom sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I know how you feel, but we need to stay at the camp and stay alert for the Grounders. We don’t know why they attacked Jasper, and they could arrive at any time to attack the Camp. We know nothing about those people. We don’t even know if they are people anymore!”

Lincoln took his words as insult. He held his position as she shrugged her shoulders in defeat and retraced her steps to the camp.

* * *

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia stayed in camp the rest of the day helping to prepare and erect the wall. She spent the entire time contemplating what Atom said. She had managed to forget about the mysterious Grounders that announced their existence in such a brutal manner. She wanted to know why they attacked Jasper like they did. She wondered if they were watching the camp. She wondered what they looked like after living in the radiation for nearly 100 years. She occupied herself with her thoughts until late that day when the rescue group returned successfully.

Clarke called out for boiled water and any clean clothes that could be spared as her and Wells carried the make-shift travois with Jasper into the drop ship. Bellamy and Finn deposited a large feline beside the center fire pit.

Octavia rushed to the ship to see Jasper and to offer her assistance to Clarke. She helped Clarke to clean and dress the wound, but they had no medicine to treat it with. Jasper was thankfully unconscious during their menstruations, so he did not have to suffer the pain. He was developing a fever which caused Clarke great alarm. After a short time, Bellamy called in to Octavia. She excused herself and left to speak with her brother.

Bellamy and Octavia settled into his tent to discuss everything that happened that day. Bellamy told her about how they were walking through the woods when they heard Jasper. “Clarke was the first to get to him, but she nearly killed herself falling in a pit trap. He was tied to a stake and surrounded by pit traps.” Octavia gasped, “How did you get him down?”

Bellamy continued, “We carefully edged our way around the trap and cut him free, but then we had to shoot that cat we brought back. It heard Jasper and came to investigate. Wells used all of the ammo to bring it down.”

“Well I’m just glad you made it back without any more injuries. Did you see any of these Grounders while you were out?” Octavia asked.

“No, I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t even find tracks around where Jasper was tied. I don’t know who they are, but they are clever.”

Octavia nodded, “I’m glad you are alright, but you can’t repeat what you did today. You can’t just decide that I need to stay and hide whenever you think something might happen. Jasper was attacked far from our camp, and we have never seen any evidence of anyone around the camp.”

“We haven’t seen any evidence of them anywhere, other than Jasper’s attack. I just want you to be safe, O.”

“I know that Bell, but I want to be happy. I won’t do anything to get into any trouble, but I’m not going to play the part of meek little sister any more. I won’t let you stop me.” She replied. Bellamy was shocked by her insistence, and he didn’t move to stop her when she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Our Octavia refuses to be controlled! I have the next chapter almost ready and should be getting it on in a few hours.
> 
> Please review and let me know what you think :)


	5. Chapter 5- What Lurks on the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia travels out from the camp and finds a river nearby. She decides to bath in the gentle flow, but soon discovers more dangers. Octavia is saved by an intriguing stranger.

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia rose shortly after sunrise the next morning. She went to the drop ship first; she wanted to check on Jasper and Clarke. She offered to stay with Jasper so Clarke could go get some rest. Clarke tried to stay, but she was asleep on her feet. She finally agreed to take a nap and return in a few hours. Jasper was still unconscious, but he seemed healthy otherwise. The poultice that the Grounder’s placed on his wound seemed to work well; He suffered from no fever, and his wound was not infected.

Octavia spent the morning talking to Jasper. She told him about everything that she had seen in the forest, and she told him of how peaceful it was to walk through the trees. She spoke him if the butterflies, and of everything she hoped to soon discover. Clarke came in around midday, looking much better than she had that morning. Octavia took the opportunity to get away. She wanted to travel east today, since she had mostly been exploring to the west.

Octavia slipped out of the camp easily. She knew which parts they would be working on today, so she knew where to avoid. She ran through the woods, relishing the wind in her hair. She slowed to a walk after about a mile and looked up into the trees, trying to find the sources of all the different sounds she could hear. It was peaceful out here; alone in the woods, where no one cares who you are or what you’ve been through. The past didn’t matter, her past didn’t matter.

She heard the river before she seen it. When she spotted it, she jogged down the shallow bank to the edge of the water. She knelt down and placed her hand in the water, surprised at how cool it was. She removed her boots and pants and eased herself into the water. She gasped at the temperature, and walked into deeper water. She couldn’t swim, but she couldn’t resist seeking what the river felt like. She laid her head back and stared up into the clear afternoon sky.

Suddenly, Octavia felt something stab into her leg and she was pulled under the water and felt her leg burn as if on fire. She screamed as she was pulled under, then all that came out were bubbles. This large creature wrapped its body around her, but it only squeezed harder when she tried to resist. Her arm was trapped in the monster’s grip. She tried fighting it, banging on the skin and clawing at it with her nails, but it was futile. Octavia felt the darkness take over.

* * *

 

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

Lincoln eased through the forest, closing in on the river slowly so he could look for any people near the river. This river provided fresh water for most of the western edge of the Grounder territory. Lincoln had been patrolling around the trespassers camp for three days now, ever since the Sky People landed in his tribe’s forest. Lincoln knelt down under a rhododendron bush at the top of the bank, where he had the advantage of seeing much of the river and terrain around him while staying hidden in the shadows of the afternoon sun. Lincoln sat like this for a while; a strange need told him that he would be needed.

He recognized her as soon as she stepped out of the woods. _Octavia._ He watched as she easily walked down the bank to the river. She reached her hand into the water to test its temperature, and then she stripped off her pants, intending to bathe and enjoy herself in the flowing river. Lincoln repositioned to look closer at the river, trying to make out any movement below the surface. Lincoln knew well what the river could hide. Many of the children of his tribe disappeared on their trips to the river.

Lincoln spotted the river snake too late, and he watched as the shadow surfaced near the woman, latching onto her leg and pulling her under. He jumped up from his hiding spot as he heard her agonizing scream. Lincoln threw down his spear and fur and ran down the hill to the river bank. Knowing that the river snake prefers to sink to the bottom of the river bed with its prey, he dives in and swims down. He finds the snake coiled around the woman as she tried to struggle against it. Lincoln drew knife from his boot, and used it to slice across the giant snake, successfully driving it to release its prey and retreat to safety.

Lincoln grabbed the now lifeless woman around the waist and swam up to the surface. He gasped for air and propelled them to the shore. He gently placed her on the rocky bank and knelt with his ear to her chest. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her heart beating beneath her breast. He still worries because she was not breathing. He leaned up to cover her mouth with his own to blow air into her lungs for her; she suddenly coughs violently, expelling the water that she consumed in her struggle.

* * *

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia laid back, finally able to breath, and wondered how she was still alive. She knew she shouldn’t have snuck away from the drop ship alone, but she couldn’t resist exploring this strange land. She opened her eyes to see if her leg looked as bad as it felt. She saw a large man leaning above her. She gasped and tried to move back and distance herself from the savage-looking man, but the lightning shooting through her leg made her fall back down instead. She watched as the strange man finally moved his eyes away from hers to examine her leg. She followed his gaze and was amazed at the amount of blood covering her shredded thigh. The sight of it mixed with the pain made her dizzy and she groaned and laid her head back.

 _“Grounder! This has to be a Grounder. Oh no,”_ Octavia thought to herself. She watched as he looked at her leg. He straightened up and pulled out a knife. Octavia froze. She watched him warily as a cut a long strip of cloth from his shirt. He grabbed her leg and lifted it; Octavia didn’t dare to try to fight him. The man was huge! He was almost twice the size of all of the boys and men that were sent down on the drop ship. Octavia felt weak with this strange man leaning over her like he was. She would be powerless if he tried to control her.

Octavia let the Grounder tie the cloth around her leg to slow the blood flow. She watched him when he walked away. She assumed he was leaving and began to worry about how she would get home. She started looking around to see if she could find anything she could use to help her walk. Suddenly the Grounder was back. He knelt down again and gently reached around her and picked her up.

* * *

 

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

Lincoln had to force himself to stop staring at the woman below him, and focused his attention on her wound. The skin was torn raggedly, and her bleeding was steady. He used his knife to cut a strip of cloth from his shirt to tourniquet the wound. She allowed him to lift her leg and tie it on with barely any reaction, which worried Lincoln. He retrieved his spear and fur, and then bundled up her pants and boots to secure them to his back. He returned to her and eased his arms under her back and legs. He lifted her up as gently as he could and walked into the forest. Lincoln couldn’t help but enjoy the feel of this woman in his arms. She was soft and petite and warm beneath his hands. She was shockingly light, so he had no problem carrying her back to his cave. When he set her down outside the entrance of his cave, her head was even with his shoulder, but she didn’t meet his eyes.

* * *

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia had no idea how she should react to the strange man that carried her into the woods. She wasn’t positive, but she assumed that he had rescued her from the creature in the river; he was soaking wet. She knew she should try to get away from him, but she also knew that her leg would prevent her escape. She looked at him warily, and he didn’t acknowledge if he noticed or not. She looked around her, trying to recognize anything so she could figure out where he was taking her, but she was completely lost. He moved quickly and silently for a few minutes until he suddenly stopped and placed her on the ground. She looked around in confusion, and watched him lift a camouflaged door that lead into a dark passage. He lifted her back up and eased her through the entrance where he set her upright and closed the door while keeping one of his arms wrapped around her in case she lost her balance. He then carried her through a short passageway and settled her down on a soft surface. She heard him walk away and feared he might leave her in this dark place.

Suddenly, light spread throughout the space and she was able to see where she was. She looked around in amazement at the drawings etched on the walls of the cave, and the books lined on one wall. She gasped when her eyes fell upon the man that brought her here. He had his back to her as he changed into dry clothing. She had never before seen markings like the ones he had. The tattoos down his spine and the scars on his shoulder intrigued her and she felt her fingers itch to touch them. She cast her eyes to her lap when he turned and glanced at her. She was sitting on what appeared to be his bed; a pile of blankets and furs carefully arranged near the fire pit in the center of the cave.

* * *

 

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

Lincoln could feel her eyes on him as he changed into fresh clothing. He turned and looked at her sitting shyly in the middle of his bed and was shocked that the he felt like that was where she belonged. He shook his head and moved a short table next to her and placed a bowl of water and a pile clean cloths on it. He walked to the other side of the room again and returned with bandages and a poultice to treat her wound. He placed the candle close to her leg so he could get a better view of the wound as he cleaned it. He wet a cloth and hesitated as he looked at her. He could see the apprehension in her eyes. He squeezed the cloth over the wound to flush it out before gently wiping the dried blood from her skin. She stopped breathing when he placed his hand on her thigh to hold the skin in place, and he froze. He looked into her eyes, trying to comfort her, and she nodded slightly. He wet another cloth and resumed cleaning her wound. When he was satisfied the wound was clean, Lincoln placed the herb poultice on the laceration to prevent infection. He carefully lifted her leg and tied a bandage around her thigh to keep the wound clean.

Lincoln rose and retrieved some food and water for his unexpected guest, deciding that he should make sure she ate something before he returned her to her camp. He may feel comfort in having her here in his home, but he knew it would never be possible. Her people were invaders in his land; they spoke of travelling to the land of the Mountain Men. He needed to return her to her people before either of their absences were discovered. She hesitated in accepting the food, but once she started eating, she relaxed a little. Lincoln placed some of the poultice in a small leather pouch for her to apply over the next few days. He placed her pants next to her on the bed so she could dress before they left.

* * *

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia was surprised at the man’s gentle touch as he cleaned and dressed the wound. She was shocked when she felt him place his hand on her bare thigh, both by the touch and by the lack of fear she felt. She wasn’t scared of this savage looking man, and she wasn’t revolted by his touch like she had always been of Grus’s. She felt safe with him caring for her wound, and safe is something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She was jarred out of her thoughts when he offered her food and water. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until she tasted the bread he gave her. She eagerly ate it and was finishing her drink when he placed her pants on the bed beside her. She carefully eased her injured leg into the pants, and tried to will the pain out of her leg when she was finally done with the task.

Octavia looked up at the man when he returned to the bedside holding a small leather bag. He held it open for her to see inside, and she recognized the herb mixture he had placed on her wound. She nodded and reached for the bag, “Thank you. For everything, you saved my life at the river.” She looked for understanding on his face, but his expression never changed. She assumed that he did not understand English. He leaned down and slipped one arm under her legs, and wrapped the other around her back. She looked around the room one final time before he blew out the candle.

* * *

 

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

Lincoln eased through the forest carefully, making sure to take a jagged and confusing path to the Sky People’s camp so that the woman would not be able to find his hidden home. He couldn’t afford for her or any of her people to find it. He knew that he shouldn’t have saved the woman, but he couldn’t let anything happen to her. He was intrigued by her innocence, and he enjoyed watching her explore the forest he called home.

He slowed as he neared her camp. He knew he would have to leave her soon, and he wished to hold her a little longer. He finally decided that he couldn’t postpone any longer, and placed her on a fallen log just out of sight of the camp. He helped her to stand and watched her test her leg to see if she could walk. He pointed in the direction she needed to go and she nodded. “I know where I am now,” she said, looking up at him. “Thank you for saving me, and thank you for returning me to my people.” He felt her squeeze his arm where she was holding on for support. He could only look back down at her; he could not let the Sky People know that he could speak their language.

Lincoln watched as she started walking toward her home, and he melted back into the trees. He saw her stop and grab onto a tree and turn to look for him. He could see her confusion at his sudden disappearance, but she finally turned and continued limping toward the boundary. One of the members of the camp saw her coming and called out to her. When she realized Octavia was injured, she ran out to escort her the rest of the way. She looked back to where he left her one last time before she disappeared into the camp.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and give me your feedback


	6. Chapter 6- Under the Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia spends her day caring for the very ill Jasper after walking out into the woods under the full moon. The next day she she stays in the drop ship caring for Jasper, before being locked inside by the strange fog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing this story. I love getting alerts about it! I am working on this as fast as I can, so hopefully I will be able to give you a lot more soon. 
> 
> This is the longest chapter so far, and the next few will probably be about the same length.

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia limped into the drop ship later that night to check on Jasper’s condition. She moved as quietly as she could to avoid waking Monty, who was sleeping against the wall. Monty was staying with Jasper tonight so Clarke could rest in her tent. Octavia crept across the floor and settled as comfortably as she could next to Jasper. Jasper developed a fever after Octavia left for the river, and his skin was burning to her touch. Clarke had no medicine to treat him with, and he wouldn’t last much longer if they couldn’t fight the infection.

Octavia removed the bandages from Jasper’s chest and examined the wound. It was bright red and hot, and the poultice that was placed on the wound was now useless. She gently washed the wound and surrounding skin and pulled out the poultice that the Grounder gave her. She applied some of the poultice and bandaged his chest again. She placed a damp cloth on Jasper’s forehead, hoping that the poultice would help and that his fever would soon break.

Octavia leaned back and sighed. She jumped when Monty whispered, “What did you put on him?” She turned and looked at him shyly. “It is a poultice, like the one the Grounders put on him.”

Monty stood up and walked over to check on Jasper himself. He looked up at her and asked, “What do you mean _like the on the grounders put on him_? How did you get something like that?”

Octavia looked at him warily and decided not to tell him anything. “It isn’t important. I don’t even know if this will help him or not.”

Monty seemed to understand that she wasn’t going to talk about it and sat quietly by his friend.

* * *

 

Octavia sat with Monty and Jasper in silence for a long time. She enjoyed having the silence, and she was grateful that he didn’t press her for information about how she got the poultice. She was able to convince the girl that assisted her into the camp that she tripped and banged herself up a bit. She didn’t want to explain to her brother how she was rescued by a Grounder. He would want her to give him information about the Grounders, which she didn’t possess. She knew her brother would try to track down the man that saved her and she didn’t want that for him, for either of them.

Octavia looked up to Monty, who moved back to his spot against the wall. He was tinkering with one of the wristbands. “What are you working on?”

Monty looked set down the wristband and looked back at Octavia. “Clarke said that these bands were designed to contact the Ark. I’m trying to figure out how to remove them without frying the chip. Every time we remove them, they die. I think I have figured out how to do it, but I’m not positive. If I can, I should be able to use the band to send up a signal to let them know that the ground is survivable.”

Octavia hated the band that bit painfully into her wrist. “You can try on mine. There is no one left on the Ark that cares about me.” She moved to where he sat and extended her arm out to him.

“Are you sure? Your brother won’t approve of you helping to contact the Ark.” Monty stated.

Octavia shook her head as his comment and smiled, “Bellamy is not my keeper anymore.” She shook her hand in front of him, she was now eager to have the band removed. Monty adjusted a few things on the wristband and then lifted a piece of pipe up. “Are you sure about this?” he asked. She nodded and braced herself. Monty placed the pipe between the band and her arm and quickly opened the wristband.

Octavia pulled her arm back rubbed it. “Thank you. Did it work?” Monty frowned and shook his head. “I’ll keep working on it. Thanks for letting me try.”

Octavia moved to check on Jasper again. Nothing seemed to have changed, but she wasn’t surprised. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to head back out to my tent.”

Monty shook his head, “No I don’t mind, go get some rest, you look like you need it.”

* * *

 

Octavia exited the ship and moved slowly through the camp. She passed by several people that were sleeping out in the elements. Octavia understood their want to do so, but her brother insisted that she slept in the tent next to his. She continued through the camp and travelled to the wall. The fallen trees didn’t provide much defense, but it made the people feel more comfortable. She walked through one of the openings and entered the woods. She was trying to escape the light from the fire, but the forest was still lit up. She looked around and saw a bright light up in the sky.

Octavia lay down on the moss and stared up into the sky. “The moon,” she whispered to herself. Bellamy used to tell her about watching moonrises and showed her pictures in his books of the moon. _This is amazing!_ She studied the moon and all of its shadows as it travelled slowly overhead. She fell asleep under its light and for the first time in a long time Octavia dreamt of nothing.

* * *

 

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

Lincoln sat in position waiting on any movement in the camp. He found that some of the sentries were asleep at their post, and was amused at the sight of them. They were horrible guards to be sleeping on the job, but they were at ease with their new world. The Sky People knew nothing of the horrors this land kept hidden.

He watched her leave the ship and wander through the camp. She was favoring her leg, but she seemed to be adjusting well to the pain. Her leg should heal well with the poultice that he gave her to treat it. She walked to the edge of the boundary, where the wall was being built in an attempt to protect the Sky People from the Grounders. She didn’t stop moving when she entered the woods. She walked with purpose through the trees for a short distance, and then she looked around as if searching for something. She looked back toward her camp before looking up into the sky.

Lincoln moved forward when she lay down on the moss floor. He watched her, perplexed by her action. She gazed with wonder up at the moon and he mirrored his gaze upon her. When Lincoln realized that he was entranced by her, he moved to return to the camp. She wasn’t far from the safety of her home, and he would be able to hear if anything dangerous moved into the area.

Lincoln watched the sleeping camp for a short time. After a time, he assumed that the people were all resting and that there would be no need for him to stay. He returned to where Octavia lay under the trees and noticed that she was sleeping peacefully. He smiled down at her, wishing he could feel so safe. Lincoln pulled off his fur and placed it carefully over her sleeping form. The nights were beginning to get cold, and he knew that if she caught a chill, her wound could become dangerous. Lincoln stood and scanned through the trees. His eyes caught a flower hanging from one of the vines. He walked the short distance to retrieve it and returned to Octavia’s side. He placed the stem of the flower in her palm, and watched as her hand closed around it.

Lincoln climbed into one of the tall pines to camouflage himself for the night. He settled into the crook of a sturdy branch so he would be able to hear when the camp began to wake the next morning. Lincoln let his eyes fall to the woman sleeping in the forest under his fur, and let sleep take him.

* * *

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia woke with the sun the next morning. She stretched the aches from her body, and looked around, trying to gain her bearings. As she looked out at the trees, she remembered the night before. After she left the drop ship, she walked out into the woods to enjoy the solitude. She must have fallen asleep while staring up at the moon. She lifted the fur and stood, bringing it with her to help fight the morning chill. Octavia noticed something fall from under the fur and knelt to examine it. A white lily lay on the ground where she slept. She touched it gingerly before picking it up. The bloom smelled better than anything Octavia could remember.

She turned toward the camp and slowly started walking. She didn’t want to explain herself to any of the guards, but when she got closer to their post, she realized they were still sleeping. She snuck past them and headed straight for her tent. Octavia stretched the fur over her bedding, wondering who covered her with it. She thought that one of the guards might have discovered her and placed it on her, but that didn’t explain the flower that she found. She moved the flower onto the center of the fur and stared down at it wondering what happened last night while she was asleep.

Octavia was pulled from her thoughts by a painful groan coming from the drop ship. Octavia ran to the ship and climbed up the ladder to the floor that Jasper was on. Clarke and Monty were leaning over Jasper, who was thrashing back and forth on the bed. “What’s wrong? What’s happening, Clarke?” Octavia asked as she moved closer.

“His fever is worse today. He’s probably in a lot of pain as well. I don’t know what I can do for him though.” Clarke said. She began to undress his wound while Monty bathed his brow with a cool cloth. Octavia watched as Clarke removed the poultice and studied it. “If I could just figure out what this is made of I could probably help him.”

Wells and Finn entered as she spoke. Wells walked over and studied the mixture. “I think this is seaweed. It would grow in slow moving water that would probably be more red in color.”

Finn told him that he thought he knew where to find some, and soon Clarke, Wells and Finn were making plans to go and search for it. “I can stay with him and try to keep him comfortable,” Octavia said.

Clarke turned to her and said, “Thank you. Hopefully we will be back in a few hours. Just try to keep him comfortable and monitor his fever. Use cool water to try to lower his temperature, and see if you can get him to drink some.” Clarke looked back down at Jasper, and left.

* * *

 

_**Lincoln’s POV** _

Lincoln woke to the sound of moaning coming from the camp. He checked his surroundings, noting that Octavia still slept peacefully beneath his fur. By the angle of the moon, Lincoln estimated that he had slept only a couple hours; dawn was still over an hour away.

Lincoln moved through the trees to listen for anymore sounds or movement from the camp. The boy that was speared on the edge of the Mount Weather boundary was inside the ship, and seemed to be getting worse. His injury served as a warning to these people; they were not to travel to Mount Weather. The spear’s aim was meant to wound, but not cause death. The boy’s immune system didn’t seem strong enough to prevent it from forming an infection.

The moaning continued infrequently through the day. Shortly after dawn, Lincoln saw Octavia sneak back into camp and return to her tent. She must have left his fur and flower in her tent, because when she ran to the drop ship a moment later she was without them. She was in the ship most of the morning. Lincoln needed to return to his camp and update Anya.

* * *

 

Lincoln spent half of the day traveling to speak with Anya. Anya hoped the Sky people would head the warning and stay clear of that boundary. She stated that she would hold off attacking the camp; she wanted to learn about the newcomers and see if they could be useful to them.

That afternoon, Lincoln was returning to the drop site to determine what skills, if any, these people might have. He knew they learned how to hunt, and there were talks about gardening. Neither skill would be a direct contribution to his people, but he knew if he watched them long enough, that he could find something to benefit his people.

Lincoln stopped when he realized silence took over the forest. This was always a cause of concern; the animals only hid themselves when Reapers, or the fog came. Lincoln scaled the tree nearby and spotted the fog cloud rolling in a couple miles away. It was moving fast, so he jumped down from the tree and drew his horn. He blew a long, clear note through it.

He ran toward the camp ahead of the fog. He stopped to blow his horn a few times to warn his people, and the Sky People, to seek shelter. Lincoln headed toward the cave that was hidden not far from the drop site. He could see the people looking out past the wall, trying to decide what the horn meant. He blew the horn one final time and entered the cave.

* * *

 

_**Octavia’s POV** _

Octavia spent the day trying to keep Jasper cool and trickling some water down his throat. It was near midday when everyone in camp suddenly entered the drop ship and started closing all of the hatches and openings. The exit ramp was closed also when a thick yellow gas started following the people inside. The people explained that they heard a horn blow just before the strange fog rolled in. A quite a few of the people had minor burns to prove that the fog was dangerous.

Octavia fought her way through the people searching for her brother and for Clarke. Ten people were missing from camp. Clarke, Finn and Wells were out searching for the medicine for Jasper. Octavia finally found out from one of the sentries that her brother left with a small hunting party just after dawn. Everyone from both of the groups were unaccounted for.

After several hours the people in the drop ship were restless. They had not been cooped up like this since the Fall, and Jasper’s moans were only serving to add to their frustrations. Octavia and Monty heard some of the people threaten to quiet him for good, and they closed the hatch and blocked it with a pipe they managed to break loose. Octavia and Monty sat in silence for the rest of the night, trading off caring for Jasper as they got tired.

* * *

 

The next morning the people decided to start opening the smaller hatches to see if the fog had passed. When the air stayed clear, the exit hatch was lowered again and everyone went outside to check for damage. The tents and belongings left outside all survived the fog, but the ten missing people had not yet returned.

Octavia stayed with Jasper for another hour before she heard the voices rise in the camp. She reached the bottom of the ladder as Clarke ran inside. “We found the plant. I just have to boil this and get Jasper to drink some of the liquid. The poultice seems to have antibiotic properties, so this should help.” Clarke climbed up the ladder and Octavia followed.

They had to slowly trickle the liquid down Jasper’s throat because they still could not get him to wake up. Octavia washed his wound with some of the liquid as Clarke ground the seaweed into a poultice. Clarke placed a generous amount on the wound and covered it with fresh bandages.

After a couple hours, Clarke rose from Jasper’s side and announced, “His fever has finally broken. I think he is going to pull through.”

Octavia released a sigh; the stress of the night was starting to catch up with her. “I’m going to go out and look for my brother. I don’t know if he has returned yet.” She turned and left.

Octavia exited the drop ship and scanned the camp searching for her brother. She didn’t see him amongst the people scattered around the fire, but she did see fresh meat cooking, so she knew his group had returned. She headed for his tent and found him inside.

Bellamy looked up at his sister as she entered. “Hey O, I heard you had a long night keeping Jasper alive. I bet it wasn’t as much fun as hiding in a cave from the acid fog,” He said with a weak smile.

Octavia sat next to him on his makeshift bed, “I guess not. All I got to do all night was keep the hatch closed so no one killed him,” She shrugged. “The medicine seems to be helping though. His fever finally broke and he’s resting now.”

Bellamy nodded, “I’m sorry you had to go through that.” He hesitated before continuing, “We lost Atom. He wasn’t able to make it to cover. Every part of him that was exposed was burnt. I can’t believe that happened. I knew to be afraid of the Grounders, but I didn’t know that the weather would kill us too.”

Octavia sat with him in silence for a little while. She didn’t know what to say. Bellamy laid back and covered his eyes with his arm. Octavia took this as a sign and stood up, “I’m exhausted Bell, I’m going to go get some rest, you should too.” He grunted back at her and she smiled down at him. “See ya.”

Octavia walked slowly to her tent. Her leg was starting to hurt more and she knew she needed to tend it before she developed an infection herself. She entered her tent and stopped when she saw the flower resting on her bed. She reached for it and smelled it again. She smiled and placed it back down. She undressed and settled on the bed. She carefully unwrapped her leg and washed the wound. It seemed to be healing nicely, so she grabbed the pouch with the poultice and applied some before wrapping it again. Octavia laid back and curled up under the fur. Her entire body ached with exhaustion, and Octavia was soon asleep, surrounded by the perfume of the flower and another smell she couldn’t quite place.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Octavia and Lincoln will be coming face to face again soon. The nest chapter should be out in a couple of days. Please review and tell me what you think is going to happen. J


	7. Chapter 7- The Thrill of the Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia joins her brother on a hunting expedition. Bellamy decides to increase the camp's security.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler chapter... I started into writing and realized that this would work better as a stand alone chapter then to add it to chapter 8

** Octavia’s POV **

Octavia woke the next morning well rested. She sat up on the edge of her makeshift bed and started rubbing her leg. The torn edges of skin appeared to be healing together and the flesh was no longer hot and red. “ _It is healing quite nicely_ ,” she thought to herself as she cleaned off the poultice, “ _I can’t believe that Grounder saved me like he did. And why did he just drop me off like a package outside of camp?_ ” Octavia had to pull herself from her thoughts when she heard her brother calling to her. She quickly covered her leg and the poultice she was about to use under the fur. “Hey, Bell. What’s up” she called out to him.

Bellamy took her answer as an invitation and entered her small tent. He stood near the end of her bed and looked down at her. Octavia’s face bloomed red, and Bellamy laughed out loud at her, “What’s wrong lil sis?”

She tried to hide her secret injury so she wouldn’t have to tell him everything that happened that day at the river. “It’s nothing Bell, I was just trying to get dressed when you showed up. I can’t stand wearing the same clothes every day! I think I’m gonna have to go wash them today. Maybe I can save these,” she said, gesturing to her worn pants.

Bellamy picked up the pants and spoke, “Well put them on, I want you to come hunting with us today.” He tossed the pants down next to her and noticed the fur on her bed. “Hey, where did you find this?” he asked, petting the fur.

Octavia shrugged and said, “I don’t know really, I found it when I went to sleep night before last. I figured that someone thought I needed it.” She couldn’t lie about the fur; she really didn’t know where it came from.

“Oh,” her brother sounded perplexed by the fur’s appearance. “Well just hurry up and get ready. You can wash your clothes later, you’ll probably need to.” Bellamy smiled and headed to the center fire to meet with his group.

Octavia could feel her heart beating in every part of her body. She thought Bellamy was going to start questioning her more about the fur, but thankfully he accepted her answer without a fight. She applied the last of the poultice to her leg and wrapped it quickly before dressing. She could only hope that her brother wouldn’t notice her limping.

* * *

 

Octavia left the camp with her brother after she met him by the fire. When Bellamy noticed her approaching, he dismissed the guards that work sentry at night. She looked at them as she passed, but they all avoided her gaze. Her brother rose with two of his men and walked toward her. He held out a spear to her, and Octavia grasped it firmly and judged its weight in her hand. “Thank you” she nodded to her brother. He smiled down at her and turned her toward the forest. They headed out silently, Bellamy leading and his men taking the rear.

They walked through the trees quickly, trying to reach the deeper wood that their people did not disturb during their daily activities. She looked to her brother, who moved quietly beside her. When he didn’t notice her she finally called out to him. “So Bellamy, What are we hunting today? Deer, boar, rabbits?” She held her weapon, a rudimentary spear, swinging idly in her right hand.

“Whatever the Fates put in front of us dear sister,” he said cryptically. Octavia wondered what he meant by his statement, but she distracted herself by looking around the trees. She could hear the birds and other small game in the forest, moving about their lives without a care in the world. Oh, how she longed to find such peace. She smelled the air and sighed. She continued walking along with the silent group.

* * *

 

**_Bellamy’s POV_ **

Bellamy called his sentries together when he left his sister’s tent. His sister seemed to spend as much time out of camp as she did within its walls. She had been missing from camp the last 2 days when he returned from hunting. He questioned the guards about her comings and goings, and they told him that they only seen her leave a couple of times. Bellamy chastised the young men for their lapse of attention and ordered them to work harder. If his baby sister could slip by so easily, surely the Grounders could do the same.

He looked over at his sister and watched as she moved silently through the trees. Her gait was relaxed, and she looked happy. Far happier than he had seen her in the past few years. He knew that she liked to sneak out of the camp. She’d been slipping out past the guards every day since they were posted. Now he understood why. He could now see that she felt one with these woods. She moved instinctively, never looking at where her feet fell.

Bellamy looked around for any sign of animals. He hoped to find something early in the day so he could see to the camp security. Suddenly Octavia held up her hand and everyone stopped moving and crouched down. She looked to Bellamy to make sure he was watching her as she pointed to a deer eating in the shade of the pines. Bellamy felt pride at his sister’s keen eye and studied the animal. The buck was peacefully eating, unaware of the enemy nearby.

He signaled for his two men to circle around the beast. Bellamy motioned for Octavia to move forward with him. They crept silently forward, trying to get as close to the beast as possible before attacking. Without they element of surprise, they would never be able to land a blow on the deer before he injured one of them or escaped. Bellamy and Octavia managed to get within a few meters from the deer when it suddenly looked around.

The buck panned around trying to find the threat in the shadows. Bellamy was taken aback when the beast revealed a disfigured face protruding from the side of its head. Bellamy tried to close his eyes to remove the image from his mind. The beast could only be describe as grotesque. Even though Bellamy had seen a few of the animals that were affected by the radiation before, he still cringed when he seen the effect the nuclear war had on the environment.

Bellamy looked to his sister to gauge her reaction, but she wasn’t at his side any longer. Bellamy looked around to find where she disappeared to and saw her standing triumphantly over the fallen buck. He stood and watched her kneel down to the creature. She stroked the fur of on his neck and murmured to it. Bellamy slowly walked to his sister and motioned for the rest of the party to join them. All three of the men looked at Octavia with amazement in their eyes.

* * *

 

They were on their way back to the camp before midday, with enough food for everyone to have a decent meal again. They had been surviving mostly on rabbits and other small game that triggered the traps Finn created. Bellamy was relaxed for the first time since Jasper was hit with the spear. If his plans worked like he wanted them to, they might just make it. Bellamy hoped to get more hunting teams trained; they would bring back a surplus of food to start storing for the winter.

Bellamy looked as his sister. He was astounded by her actions earlier. She didn’t hesitate when she saw the buck’s disfigurement. She took the opportunity and struck true with her spear.

As they closed in on their camp, Bellamy stopped with his sister. “Octavia, you really impressed me today. How did you manage that?” She looked up at him nervously.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in the forest since we landed. I can’t stand being cooped up with all of the people in camp. All they do is fight and fuck, Bellamy. Whenever I’m not busy helping with something, I retreat to the woods to clear my head. I’ve seen many animals while out for a walk. Some of them are disfigured like that one was, but most of them are beautiful.”

She shrugged and lifted her arms up. “Look at how beautiful this place is, Bell. I never imagined that I would come here. I expected to live the rest of my life locked up in the Ark. I love being able to walk around freely and explore. I finally fell like I have a home.” Bellamy could see the truth of her words shining through her eyes.

He understood her feeling free and happy, but he couldn’t understand her feeling safe wandering around alone. “But what about the Grounders?” he asked.

“What about them? We haven’t seen anything from them since Jasper was attacked. They aren’t being aggressive toward the camp. Maybe they were just warning us away from Mount Weather.”

Bellamy didn’t like her naivety. “You don’t know that Octavia. They could be here right now, listening to us, and we wouldn’t even know. No one saw the grounder that attacked Jasper. They know this forest better than we ever could. They could be planning an attack and we wouldn’t even know!”

Octavia sighed at his words, but she didn’t try to argue with him. “Just go and wash your clothes. You should probably clean them after your first kill; you’ve got a little blood on you it seems.” He gestured to her thigh, where the fabric was stained red. Octavia nodded and turned to walk toward the river.

Bellamy returned to the camp shortly after his men returned with the deer. He looked over to see the deer being butchered and prepared for the evening meal. He found Murphy and asked him for his ear. They settled into his tent so they could speak quietly.

“We need to start increasing the guards around the wall.” Murphy nodded but stayed silent. “Octavia has been sneaking past the sentries quite frequently. I will not allow something to happen to her or anyone else because the guards aren’t effective. If we can sneak out, the Grounders can sneak in.”

“I agree, Bellamy. I’m still trying to get everyone focused on finishing the wall. It seems like everyone thinks that they are safe just because nothing has happened yet.” Murphy sat back and waited for Bellamy to continue.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. Let’s go and see what we can do to prioritize the camp’s security.” Bellamy rose and followed Murphy out to speak with the people. He needed to find people that would be better used as sentries and supervisors for the wall’s construction.

* * *

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia wandered toward the river, thinking about her brother’s words. He was convinced that the Grounders were their enemy, but she wasn’t so sure. The single attack did not call for war. She would have been more wary of the people if she had noticed them watching the camp. During all of her trips out to explore the forest surrounding the camp, she had only seen one Grounder; the one that pulled her from the river. _This river_ , she thought as she came to the water’s edge.

Octavia sat on the bank of the river and stared into the depths. She searched the river for movement and thought back to that day. She had come down to the river to wash herself and her clothes in its current that day. She hadn’t thought to be wary of creatures hiding in the depths below the surface. _I should have known that the shadows have plenty to hide._ Octavia rose and followed the river upstream, searching for a shallower section.

She found a tributary not far from where she was sitting. She followed it upstream and found a slow moving section she would be able to sit in. Octavia removed her boots and placed them up on a boulder on the edge of the stream. She walked into the small pool and sat down, placing her weight on her arms as she let her legs flow in front of her. She sat up and pulled the piece of fabric from her hair and let it soak in the cool water.

After a short time Octavia finally felt relaxed. She grabbed a handful of slit from the streambed beneath her rubbed it into her clothing. She scrubbed at the stains in her clothes but they were too stubborn to be removed. Octavia rubbed the silt out of the fabric, along with some of the grime. When she was satisfied that she could get no cleaner, she rose and sat on the rock beside her boots.

Octavia tried to relax on that rock, but her thoughts drifted back to that morning. She was concerned with her brother questioning her about her activities. She loved to be able to come and go as she wished; and she was afraid that Bellamy would try to put a stop to it. She saw him talking with the sentries when she left her tent that morning, so she wouldn’t be surprised if they stopped her the next time she tried to leave. Octavia put her boots on headed back out into the woods.

* * *

 

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

Lincoln followed the hunting party when they left that morning. He tried to convince himself that he might find some kind of useful information for his tribe, but he knew that he just wanted to follow after her and keep her safe. He was surprised that her brother brought her along on this trip; from what he had witnessed, Bellamy wanted his sister safe within the camp at all times. She left the camp daily, and every time that he noticed her missing, Bellamy seemed irritated until her return.

Lincoln admired how she was able to float along the forest floor silently. The three men in the group made constant sound while walking. This was why the people had been relying on their small-game traps for sustenance. She gazed out at her surroundings, searching the shade for any signs of life. Lincoln knew how to melt into the forest, and she looked passed him several times without ever noticing his presence.

As they approached a small clearing, Octavia spotted a buck feeding on the ferns at the base of a large pine. Lincoln watched as she crouched down and signaled for the others to follow her lead. He was impressed by how she handled the situation. Two of the men moved around to the sides to gauge the attack. She slowly crept forward and lifted her spear. When the creature lifted its disfigured head, Lincoln saw all three of the men flinch at the sight of it. Octavia jumped at the opportunity when beast looked away and thrust her spear into his chest.

She settled on her knees and spoke to the buck; Lincoln could only assume she was thanking him, for she petted the fur as she pulled her spear out. The men slowly walked forward and shared their amazement. Lincoln smirked at the group celebrating her first kill. The siblings watched the others field-dress the deer and lash it their spears to carry it home.

* * *

 

Lincoln followed the group as they traveled back to the camp. He moved closely to the siblings trying to listen in on their conversation. They stopped near their camp and Lincoln settled in to listen for anything that could be useful. She spoke of her love of this place and her freedom, but her brother wasn’t impressed. He tried to tell her that she was putting herself in danger by leaving the camp, but she refused to believe him. Lincoln was impressed by her intuition and by the way she expressed herself. She seemed to take her brother’s words for a challenge.

When she left to go to the river, Lincoln followed behind her to see what her reaction would be to returning to the river. She stopped when she reached the water’s edge; she seemed to hesitate before she sat down on the bank of the river. She stared deep into the depths of the river for several minutes. Finally she shook herself and stood. He followed her as she travelled up stream until she found a small stream that fed into the river. She settled into a calm pool and began to relax.

Lincoln turned and headed toward the camp, wanting to give her privacy. He knew she would be safe from any harm in that stream. As he closed in on the camp he noticed that the sentries on the perimeter of the camp were now patrolling the border with determination. He assumed that Bellamy finally realized that the security he put in place needed attention.

Lincoln hunched down a short distance from the path the sentries were digging into the earth, and watched the people within the camp. He could see that most of the population was working on filling in the wall with more young trees and parts from their ship. Bellamy appeared to be speaking with different members of the camp, but Lincoln was too far away to be able make out what was being said.

 


	8. Chapter 8- Wish Upon a Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A falling star is seen by Sky People and Grounder's alike. When Bellamy searches for it before the rest of his people, Octavia follows him. In her anger, Octavia bounds through the forest, only to become startled and injured.

Chapter 8- Wish Upon a Star

_**Octavia's POV** _

Octavia sat beside the fire enjoying the night. She stared up at the sky, contemplating whether or not she would be able to leave freely now that Bellamy increased the guards outside the wall. He didn't even mention the change when she returned after going to the river. The sentries were now patrolling around the camp in groups, and the wall was now being built with pieces of the drop ship. Everyone in the camp seemed to be on edge tonight.

She looked over to her brother, who was sitting with two girls on the other side of the fire. Her brother now was different from the brother she had growing up. He seemed to be paranoid about the Ark now, and expected something bad to happen at every turn. Octavia sighed and leaned her head back and looked up to the stars. She recognized the Ark passing overhead. Bellamy and several of the others commented on it the first few nights after they landed.

She followed that Ark across the sky and remembered why she was so happy here. The lifeboat had been home to three generations of people, but it had only ever been her cage. She never got to walk freely through its halls. She hoped her freedom would not be taken here as well.

She noticed a light striking through the sky; several others did as well because Octavia could hear voices mumbling about fallen stars. She rose and walked around the fire to stand near her brother. They crowd watched the fiery trail cut a path across the starry sky. Bellamy spoke quietly, "That's not a meteor, that's a pod."

Octavia looked up at her brother. "From the Ark? What could it mean?" she asked. He shook his head and watched as the parachute deployed and the object disappeared behind the hill.

The crowd started talking in small, but loud, groups. Everyone seemed to have a different idea of what the Ark sent down for them. Bellamy stepped forward and spoke loudly to be heard over the crowd, "We will leave in the morning to find the pod. It is too dangerous to travel that far at night. The Grounders saw that fall just like we did, and they know this land better than we do. We can't risk it."

Octavia watched as the crowd thought about Bellamy's words. Everyone finally agreed that he was right and it wasn't safe to leave in the middle of the night. Most of the crowd dispersed to their tents and beds to retire for the night. Octavia sat back down by the fire and watched the camp. Her brother spoke to a few of the people gathered around before he headed to his tent. She sat there by the fire for a while watching as the wood was consumed.

Octavia finally rose and headed to her tent for the night, wanting to get some sleep after the long day. She had just settled down into her bed when she heard movement in her brother's tent. Octavia rose and moved to the tent flap. She heard Bellamy exit his tent and walk between their tents. Octavia slipped out of her tent and followed Bellamy as he left the camp.

* * *

Octavia crept silently through the trees behind her brother. They left the camp several hours ago, and she had been walking behind him the entire time. She was amused that he didn't notice her movements, but she was starting to grow tired of the game. The sun was starting to rise over the valley they were walking through; Octavia decided that she wouldn't be able to hide for much longer.

She ran to catch up with her brother and called out to him, "Bell, hey wait up." He turned back and looked at her with surprise and anger flashing in his eyes.

"What do you think you are doing? No one is supposed to leave the camp at night," Bellamy spat at her.

Octavia was taken aback by her brother's tone. "I remember, so I thought I would follow you and make sure you didn't get hurt. Why did you lie about waiting until morning to search for the pod?"

"You need to go back to the camp O, you're not coming with me." Bellamy turned and started walking away from her.

"You lied to everyone. You lied to me. You just want whatever's in that pod," She shouted after him.

Bellamy turned back to her and shouted, "Just go home!"

"You always want to play the big brother, huh? Well, guess what? Joke's on me. You're just a selfish dick." She yelled back at him. She stood with her back straight when he walked toward her and grabbed her by her arms.

"I did this for you, to protect you. If The Ark finds out we're alive, they'll come down. And when they do I'm dead."

She could see the fear in her brother's eyes. Octavia began to worry about her brother. "What did you do?"

Bellamy hesitated before speaking, "I shot him. I shot Jaha."

"What?" Octavia didn't understand.

"I found out they were sending you to Earth. I couldn't let you go alone. Someone came to me with a deal do this. Kill him, and they'd get me on the drop ship. And I did it."

She couldn't believe that her brother would be willing to murder someone in cold blood for her. "You killed the chancellor?"

"He floated our mother. He locked you up. He deserved it."

Octavia took a step back from him, shocked at his admission. "I didn't ask you to do that."

Bellamy nodded, but didn't move. "You're right. I made the choice. This is on me. Whatever they sent down, I'll take care of it." She watched him shrug his shoulders in defeat.

Octavia felt her tears start to burn in her eyes. "I didn't ask for any of this." She quietly said before turning and running back the way she came.

* * *

Octavia ran through the trees as fast as her feet would carry her. She had to get away from her brother and everything he just told her. She felt like he was blaming all of this on her. She felt the tears falling from her eyes and started swatting at them to clear her vision. She ran as hard as she could until she ran out of breath. She stopped at the top of the ridge and grabbed a tree nearby. She tried to slow her breathing and calm down before she started down the hill; she knew she would have to be more careful or she would make a mistake and roll down the hill.

Octavia's breathing finally returned, and she wiped the rest of the tears from her face. She eased off the tree and took a deep breath before continuing. Suddenly a loud, thunderous beating sound came from behind her. Octavia threw herself forward and ran; trying to save herself from the terrible beast that made that noise.

She tried to watch where her feet were landing. When she stepped on a rock sticking up out of the bank, she felt it roll out from under her and she threw her arms out to try to catch herself. She landed on her arm and immediately rolled over herself. She kept rolling and bouncing down the steep bank, unable to grab onto anything to stop herself. She slammed into a huge rock and everything went dark.

* * *

_**Lincoln's POV** _

Lincoln watched as the object fell from the sky. He noted that the object seemed to be much smaller than the drop ship that fell. The parachutes deployed and the pod disappeared behind the ridge. Lincoln set off to speak with Anya, knowing that she would want information on this object fallen from the sky.

Lincoln traveled quickly back to his village using some of the tunnels that ran through the mountains. He exited the final tunnel and jogged down the path. As he entered the encampment, Lincoln nodded to a small group of men that were gathered to talk about the object. He headed straight to Anya's hut and knocked on the doorframe. She came to the doorway and motioned for him to enter.

"What did you see? Was that another ship of Sky People?" Anya paced back and forth across the floor.

"I cannot be sure, but I don't believe so. It seemed too small. It is probably some kind of supplies," Lincoln answered.

"Alright. If their people sent them supplies, than they may have sent weapons. I need to know what fell from the sky. Lincoln, find it. Bring back anything that we can use." Anya strode outside to speak with the group of warriors that was waiting outside. Lincoln turned and jogged in the direction of the object. The moon was waning, but would still provide enough light for him to travel quickly. Lincoln was well conditioned for traveling long distances at a good pace.

* * *

Lincoln reached the summit of the mountain by daybreak. He stopped to rest and search the valley for signs of the pod. Lincoln climbed into a tall pine to scan the tree tops below. The sound of raised voices caught his attention and Lincoln dropped onto the ground. Silently, he moved through the trees and underbrush to find the people that were arguing.

Lincoln recognized Bellamy turning in his direction as he moved closer to the pair of Sky People. He yelled, "Just go home!" to the brunette that stood adamantly across from him. Lincoln eased around the pair to confirm his suspicions about the identity of the female. Octavia stood defiantly against her brother as they argued. Lincoln's fist tightened on the hilt of his dagger when Bellamy grabbed her. They spoke quieter, and Lincoln could no longer hear what was being said.

He watched as Octavia turned and ran from her brother; Lincoln waited for him to turn and walk toward the valley before following Octavia. These mountains concealed many dangers, and she was running blindly through the trees. Lincoln ran to catch up with her. When he finally found her, she was wiping at the tears falling from her eyes as she ran.

Lincoln knew that a ravine started a few hundred yards in the direction she was moving. She slowed her pace to a walk as she started walking downhill. Lincoln continued closing in the distance separating them. He was focused on her movements instead of his and spooked a group of grouse from their rest. Lincoln jumped back from birds and looked back to Octavia. She was startled by the birds booming escape. She was running as fast as she could down the hill. Lincoln swore under his breath and ran after her, hoping to catch her before she ran into the ravine.

He watched her tumble when she ran off the top of the ravine. She fell and rolled down the bank. Lincoln stopped at the edge of the steep cut of land. Her lifeless body was curled around a boulder at the bottom. Lincoln carefully climbed down the bank; moving slowly so he could keep his feet under him and not fall down after her.

Lincoln crouched down next to her and gently moved her hair away from her face. Lincoln carefully examined her so he could tell how bad her injuries were. Her forehead was bleeding and her leg was covered in blood. He ran his hands over her arms and legs feeling for any broken bones. When Lincoln decided that she wouldn't be harmed by his moving her, he reached under her to lift her up. Octavia gasped and opened her eyes when he eased her into his arms. He stilled, holding her against him, staring down into her eyes.

She looked up at him and the recognition shown in her eyes. When she didn't fight against him, Lincoln stood. He kept his eyes trained on her when he settled her against his chest. She raised her hand up to her head, and felt the blood and swelling. Lincoln continued down the dried creek bed to search for a shallow bank to walk up. Her wounds needed attention before she lost too much blood. He felt her hand fall limp onto his chest and looked down at her. She was unconscious again.

Lincoln found a trail he could easily follow up the bank and climbed out of the ravine. He increased his pace and travelled through the woods as quickly as he could. Lincoln knew Anya had other warriors out patrolling the area to gather information, so he moved in an erratic pattern, trying to avoid the others Grounders. He could only hope no one would spot them.

She awoke before he reached the cave; Lincoln felt her hand tighten on his chest when she stirred. She looked up at him again, before looking around to see where she was. When Lincoln reached the entrance to the cave, he looked down at her and slowly lowered her to the ground. He still supported most of her weight, because he kept his arm around her waist. He threw the hatch open and lifted her back into his arms. She clutched at his armor again, and he smiled down at her before jumping down into the tunnel.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love receiving reviews, so please let me know what you think. I will be posting Chapter 9- Back into Darkness next Wednesday.


	9. Chapter 9- Back into Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lincoln finds Octavia injured at the bottom of a ravine and takes her to his cave to care for her. Bellamy discovers her absence and searches for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must apologize for taking so long to get this chapter uploaded. I don't have a beta, so I had to take a break from working on this to be able to find my mistakes. I hope that this chapter makes up for my tardiness! This chapter is almost 7,000 words, so I hope this will tide you wonderful people over until I am able to get chapter 10 finished.

_**Octavia's POV** _

Octavia hurt everywhere when she woke up. She winced as she tried to move, and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up and was startled to see someone leaning over her. She studied his face and remembered him, " _He's the Grounder that saved me at the river_." Once she focused on the dark eyes looking down at her, she couldn't look away. Octavia could feel his arms under her and realized that he was trying to help her again. She shifted when he lifted her up, and the motion made everything spin. She placed her hand on her head to try to slow everything down. When she felt the moisture on her scalp, Octavia pulled her hand away, looking at the blood that now covered her palm. She moved the hand back toward her head, and everything went black again.

She felt like her world was spinning. Octavia couldn't see anything through the darkness, but she felt strangely safe. Warmth encompassed her, surrounding her. A flower emerged from the darkness. She recognized the white flower, but she couldn't remember why. She reached out to grasp the flower and examine it. It seemed to float farther away from her as her hand moved closer to it. Finally, Octavia wrapped her hand around the bloom and pulled it closer to her. She remembered the fragrance it gave off as her thoughts drifted to that night under the moon.

Octavia felt a swaying motion slowly pull her awake again. She tightened her fist around something unfamiliar and slowly opened her eyes. She could see that her hand was clutching onto someone's armor, and remembered what happened. She lifted her head from the Grounder's shoulder and looked up at him. She knew that he was probably taking her to that cave again, and she realized that she wouldn't be able to help herself in this situation. Octavia looked around when the Grounder suddenly stopped, and spotted the hidden doorway to the cave. She back to him before he gently placed her on her good leg. She could feel his hand burning into her waist where he was supporting her as he opened the hatch. He swept her back up quickly; Octavia gasped, grabbing at his chest again to steady herself.

He smiled down at her before he jumped through the entrance. He eased his arm from under her back to close the hatch again. She clung to him and thought she could still see his smile through the shadows. He carried her through the short tunnel and into the main room. He settled her on the bed once again, and lit a nearby candle. He moved to stoke the coals in the fire pit, and she noticed that he left the blade of the knife he used in the coals. He lit several more candles and arranged them around the first.

Octavia could only watch in silence as he worked; she still felt dizzy and confused from her fall. She tried not to wince when he cut the fabric from the gash on her leg. The wound that she received at the river had been ripped open violently during her fall. When he poured water through the wound to clean it, Octavia could see that the inner muscle was exposed in the wound. The Grounder rose and walked to the fire again. He moved a kettle over the heat, and then pulled the knife out of the coals. Octavia pulled herself back when he moved toward her with the red-hot blade. He moved forward quickly and held her leg down before pressing the blade to her flesh. Octavia screamed in agony before everything disappeared.

* * *

_**Lincoln's POV** _

Lincoln couldn't help but smile as Octavia clung to him so he could close the hatch behind them. He carried her into the main body of the cave and placed her on the furs. Quickly, Lincoln lit a candle so he could see to treating her wounds. He moved to the small fire pit and stirred the coals with his dagger. He left the blade buried in the heat and moved about to gather what he would need. He could feel her watching him silently as he walked around the cave.

He settled beside her and gently pulled the fabric away from the gash on her leg. He cut it off quickly so the wound would stay clean. The blood was dried on her flesh, but the wound continued to seep. Carefully, Lincoln poured water over her leg to remove any debris left behind. Her fall down the bank ripped her old injury wide open, and tore the muscle beneath. Lincoln knew he needed to close the wound before infection set in. He went back to the fire pit and placed his kettle over the heat before retrieving the knife.

When he turned back to Octavia, he could see fear in her eyes as she looked at the knife in his hand. Lincoln crossed the room quickly and placed his free hand on her leg to keep her from moving. He could hear her pleading with him before he pressed the knife firmly against her leg. She screamed in pain before falling back limp against the bed.

Lincoln hated to cause her so much pain, but he knew of no other way to heal a wound that big. Carefully, Lincoln lifted her leg so he could tie a bandage around it to keep it clean. He turned his attention to the wound on her head, and was glad to see that it finally clotted. He cleaned some of the dried blood from her face before checking her for other injuries. Her hands and arms had minor scratches on them, but nothing serious. Her other leg and torso both seemed to be bruised, but not injured. He arranged her more comfortably on the bed before rising.

Lincoln removed the kettle from the fire and poured some of the water into a small bowl. He added various herbs to make a drink to help her sleep, so her body could rest and heal. He lifted her head and shoulders onto his knees, and carefully trickled some of the tea into her mouth. She swallowed by reflex, and he repeated the process to get enough in her system to keep her comfortable. He sat back and watched her lay in his bed. Slowly, his thoughts drifted back to his duty. As Lincoln rose, knowing he needed to finish his assignment for Anya, he thought about how this woman was causing him to neglect his duties. He set the rest of the herb tea with some bread next to Octavia, and covered her with one of his furs. He couldn't resist brushing his fingers along her cheek before he turned to leave.

* * *

_**Bellamy's POV** _

Bellamy stomped through the forest toward the pod. He needed to reach the small ship and destroy any of the communications on board before the Ark was contacted. He knew that when the Ark discovered that he killed the Chancellor and escaped to Earth, they would want him executed. He was rash in his decision, but his options were limited. Commander Shumway told him he could get onto the drop ship with Octavia, as long as he assassinated the Chancellor. Bellamy hadn't seen his baby sister in nearly a year, so he was willing to do anything to see her again, to protect her. The fear he saw in her eyes when he admitted his crime still pained him. All he wanted to do was keep her safe, but he managed to hurt her himself.

Bellamy shook his head to clear his thoughts as he continued through the forest. He reached the valley a short time later and started searching for the pod. He finally found the pod in a small clearing and ran up to the door. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find someone inside. The young woman sat slumped against her seatbelt in a space suit. He could hear her breathing, but he could also hear a voice calling out on the radio. The Ark was requesting feedback from the pod's pilot. Bellamy quickly found the radio and pulled until the wires broke free from the control panel.

Bellamy ran from the drop pod to reach the cover of the trees. He couldn't risk anyone finding him with the radio, and his people were probably searching for the pod already. He cut quickly through the forest searching for some way to destroy the radio. He could faintly hear the river in the distance when he stopped to rest a short time later. He pushed through the brush when he neared the river bank. Bellamy looked down at the radio in his hand and took a deep breath; _I hope I'm doing the right thing_. He threw the radio as far as he could into the shallow river, and was satisfied that no one would stumble upon it.

Bellamy turned away from the river and followed the path he used to find somewhere to dispose of the radio. He climbed back up the mountain, enjoying the satisfaction he found in preventing the Ark from contacting them. The Ark and the council would only want to give orders to his people. Bellamy could imagine what would happen when they discovered he was amongst the delinquents. Bellamy was startled from his thoughts when Clarke appeared behind him. "Where is it?" She grasped his shoulder and stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey, princess. You taking a walk in the woods?" Bellamy smirked down at her.

She continued speaking, "The Ark is running out of oxygen. They don't have enough time to fix the system. They're getting ready to kill to buy them some time. And I can guarantee you it won't be council members. It'll be working people. _Your people_." She emphasized the last part, and Bellamy could already feel the guilt building up. Finn and the woman from the pod joined them just as suddenly as Clarke had.

"Bellamy, where's the radio?" Finn asked, shoving against Bellamy's chest. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Bellamy returned.

"Bellamy Blake? They're looking everywhere for you."

Bellamy looked down at the new edition and snapped, "Shut up." Bellamy did not want to explain to their people how he managed to get on the dropship with them.

Clarke seemed confused by the girl's statement. "Looking for him why?" she asked.

"He shot Chancellor Jaha." Bellamy braced himself when she spoke, knowing that Clarke and Finn would turn on him now. He looked down at Clarke when she finally spoke.

"That's why you took the wristbands. Needed everyone to think we're dead. And all that "whatever the hell we want"? You just care about saving your own skin."

Bellamy turned and continued walking, not wanting to explain himself to them. The girl from the pod ran forward again to confront him. "Hey! Shooter! Where's my radio?"

"Get out of my way," he spoke in a low voice. She refused to move, holding her ground in front of him. "Where is it?" she asked again.

"I should've killed you when I had the chance." Bellamy hoped that threatening her would get them off his back. She stepped toward him instead, "Really? Well, I'm right here." Bellamy grabbed her by her shoulders and moved to pin her against a tree. Before Bellamy could think of his next move, the girl pulled out a knife and held it to his neck. "Where's my radio?" She asked again.

Clarke stepped forward, trying to maintain peace. "Raven, Bellamy, stop it!" The group stood tense for a moment before Bellamy released the girl and she lowered her knife.

Bellamy turned away from them before he spoke. He knew that Clarke and Finn were curious about his crime. "Jaha deserved to die. You all know that."

He turned at the girl's reply, "He's not my favorite person, either. But he isn't dead." She looked up at him as she spoke.

"What?" Bellamy couldn't understand how Jaha was still alive. He couldn't quite believe the girl, but she had no reason to lie about this.

"You're a lousy shot." Raven answered with a shrug. Bellamy was standing rigid, completely shocked when Clarke walked up to him. "Bellamy, don't you see what this means? You're not a murderer. You always did what you had to do to protect your sister. That's who you are. And you can do it again, by protecting 300 of your people. Where's the radio?"

Clarke's pleading was painful to hear. Bellamy's guilt over killing Jaha was something he was still learning to live with. The 300 deaths on the Ark would be his burden now as well. "It's too late," he said quietly. "I tossed the radio in the river, we will never find it." He shook his head as he spoke, knowing the search would prove fruitless.

"Show me where and let me decide of its too late." The girl said as she walked closer to him again.

Bellamy shrugged his shoulders in defeat and turned toward the river, "Follow me."

* * *

_**Lincoln's POV** _

Lincoln travelled quickly to reach the ridge again. He needed to reach the object that fell, and determine what was sent down. He moved down into the valley, toward the area he determined was the landing site. As he closed in on the area, he could hear raised voices. He crept closer to the group, and recognized three of the people from the Sky People's camp. The fourth, a young woman, was one that he knew he hadn't seen before. When he figured out that she arrived in the pod, he realized that the Ark was sending more people down. He continued moving down the valley to find the pod. When he found the small ship, he stayed under cover in the trees to make sure that he was alone.

He studied the small object, realizing that it wouldn't have been able to hold much more than the single passenger that arrived. He moved quickly to the door of the pod and lifted it open. The interior of the ship held two seats and a large area that seemed to be the controls. He searched for anything in that he thought could be useful, but soon discovered that the ship was nearly empty. He found a small box full of bandages, creams, and other unfamiliar items; he decided to bring it with him. Nothing else seemed to be easily removed, and Lincoln knew he couldn't afford to spend much more time investigating. He returned to the forest and headed for his village.

It was early afternoon by the time Lincoln returned to his village. Anya was speaking with her second, Tris, near her hut. Lincoln waited patiently for her attention to change so he could speak with her. She motioned for him to join them, and he followed them inside. Anya sat before speaking. "What have the Sky People sent down, Lincoln?"

Lincoln pulled the small case out and handed it to his leader. "It appears to be a healing kit. It has bandages and creams inside." He watched as Anya opened the case and slowly pulled the items out to examine them. She closed the box and handed it to her second, "Nyko should look at that so he can determine if we can use any of their medicines." The young woman nodded and held the box, but did not turn to leave. Anya glanced back at Lincoln and bid him to continue, "Tell me about the object. What fell from the sky, and why was it sent?"

"When I arrived, a small group of the Sky People had already discovered the object and its contents. To avoid contacting them, I waited for them to leave and listened to their conversation. Apparently the object was a small ship that brought a woman down from the sky. She told them that she was sent down to make contact with the group, and notify their people of the situation. They appeared to be fighting about an object that was supposed to allow them to talk with their people in the sky. When they moved far enough away from the ship, I went to it to investigate what it contained." Anya nodded, accepting the information he provided and waited for him to continue.

" _That_ ," Lincoln said, pointing at the small box in Tris's hands, "is the only thing I could find that I could remove from the ship. The ship could hold two people, although only one arrived. Most of the inside of the ship seemed to be the controls for flying it. I could find nothing inside other than that box that I thought would provide our people any benefit. I was unable to gain any knowledge about their purposes here."

Anya nodded again, appearing to be deep in thought about what the new arrival could mean for her people. She turned to Tris, "Go, and take that to Nyko. I will speak with you later." The girl left silently, obeying her mentor's wishes. Anya returned her attention to Lincoln, "I will order the warriors to stay in the area and watch for the Sky People's movements. They may return to the ship, and if they contact their people, I want to know. You should track their movements. I want to know everything they are planning. You are my best scout, Lincoln do not fail me in this." Anya stood and led Lincoln back out into the village.

Lincoln left immediately, he needed find out what the Sky People planned to do quickly. When he approached the camp, Lincoln realized that he must have missed crossing paths with a group of people that returned to the new pod for parts. Lincoln moved closer to the camp so he could eavesdrop of the conversation the people were having. Those working around the drop ship were busy arranging several items to build a signal. They planned to communicate with their people after nightfall using the fuel from the new ship.

Lincoln didn't understand how they planned to signal their people, but he knew he should report this small amount of information to Anya. He looked up to the sky, and estimated that he would be able to return to his village before dark. Lincoln moved away from the camp carefully so he wouldn't be seen. When he knew he was far enough away, Lincoln started jogging through the forest.

* * *

_**Bellamy's POV** _

Bellamy trudged through to trees in front of the small group, ignoring their murmuring. When they reached the river, Bellamy pointed to the area he threw the radio into. All four of them waded in the water looking for the foreign object, but the current was stronger than it seemed. The radio couldn't be found in the section of river they searched.

Clarke looked to Finn and spoke quietly before she walked back into the trees. When she arrived with several people a short time later, Bellamy realized that she went to the pod to find more of their people to search. After about an hour, a voice shouted out, "I found it." Bellamy watched as Raven ran across the river to grab the radio.

She started pulling debris from the casing, while water poured out from inside. "Can you fix it?" Clarke asked. Raven turned her head as she looked at the radio. "Maybe. But it'll take half a day just to dry out the components to see what's broken."

"Like I said, it's too late." Bellamy said, already feeling the guilt over destroying their only way to tell the Ark that the ground was habitable.

Clarke stomped through the water to get closer to him as she spoke. "Do you have any idea what you did? Do you even care?"

"You asked me to help. I helped," Bellamy returned.

"300 people are going to die today because of you." He could see her anger as she spoke.

"Hold up," Raven interrupted. "We don't have to talk to The Ark. We just have to let them know we're down here, right?"

Finn shrugged at her question. "Yeah, but how do we do that with no radio?"

Raven smirked at his reply, "We need to get back to the pod; I have an idea."

* * *

Bellamy returned to the drop ship with Finn to manage some of the preparation for Raven's flares. Clarke and Raven stayed at the pod to collect supplies, and sent them back to make ramp guides and a power source. Bellamy busied himself with the ramps for most of the afternoon and evening. Several people were now returning to the camp laden with supplies from the pod. Clarke and Raven arrived last, carrying fuel from the pod's engine.

Bellamy watched silently as Raven assembled her flares and checked the progress in the camp. She declared that everything was acceptable shortly before dark, and the crowd let out a cheer. They ate their meal quickly as night set in, and waited for the Ark to pass overhead so they could send their message.

"It's time!" Raven announced. The crowd stood and gathered together to watch the flares launch. Bellamy and Clarke stood together as the flares burst into the sky, burning bright red. The flares shot high into the air before arcing across the sky. Bellamy noticed that Clarke chose to stand beside him. "Do you think they can see it from up there?" he asked.

"I don't know, I hope so." She paused a moment before she continued. "Can you wish on this kind of shooting star?" Bellamy looked at her, amused at her question. "Forget it," she added before he could reply.

"I wouldn't even know what to wish for. What about you?" Bellamy turned to Clarke waiting for her to answer. She continued watching the sky, as if searching for an answer from the stars. "I only wish that they see our signal and understand our message." Clarke sighed before turning away from him. He watched as she disappeared amongst the crowd.

* * *

_**Lincoln's POV** _

Lincoln jogged through the forest at a quick pace. He needed to inform Anya of the Sky People's intentions. If they planned to contact their people, they may be planning to bring more down to Earth, into claimed territory. His people could not afford an invasion from within. Lincoln entered his village at dusk and looked for his leader. Anya was in her hut with Tris when Lincoln knocked. Tris opened the door to greet him and nodded her head at him to invite him inside.

Anya didn't waste her breath when he entered. She sat in her chair and looked at Lincoln, waiting on his report. "They are planning to contact their people after dark. When I arrived at the camp, a large group was retrieving supplies from the new ship to make some kind of a signal. Those that remained in the camp were building part of the signal when I was there. I don't know how they plan to do it, but they are doing it tonight."

Anya sat silently for a moment while she thought. "If they are communicating with their people, we need to be on guard. They could be planning for an invasion or an attack. We need to increase our defense, and inform the Commander." She turned to Tris before continuing, "You must go to the Commander and report this information. Leave now, take your horse and you should reach the stronghold before dawn." Tris nodded and left. Anya and Lincoln moved outside to the village.

The sun had finished setting as they spoke. Anya and Lincoln both looked up to the sky, each contemplating what the Sky People could have planned. A bright light on the horizon caught their attention. Everyone in in the village watched as the three lights burnt across the sky. They flew high across the sky, burning another trail against the stars. Lincoln and Anya watched as the signal fires descended from the sky slowly. As the objects headed toward the ground again, Anya stepped forward and cursed under her breath. Lincoln realized the village on the other side of the ridge they were facing was in danger. Everyone in the village held their breath and watched for sentry fire from the sentry point.

The ridge on the horizon slowly started to glow orange, but not from their sentries. Anya shouted an order to the remaining villagers, "Go to the village, help our people!" She turned to Lincoln before mounting her horse, "I want to know what just happened. Find out what they did and report to me immediately." She jumped up onto her mare and kicked her into a gallop. Lincoln glanced back to the ridgeline, worrying for the fate of his neighbors.

* * *

_**Bellamy's POV** _

Bellamy walked through the camp, stepping over and around the people that were celebrating with the moonshine from Monty's new still. He was looking for his sister, hoping to talk about their fight that morning. He realized that he never saw her when he returned to the camp, and assumed that she was just avoiding him.

He walked to his sister's tent and stopped outside the entrance. "O, are you in there? I want to talk." He waited for her reply, but no sound came from in the tent. Bellamy entered the tent and found it empty. He returned outside and started searching all of the tents in the area. His sister was good at sneaking around and hiding, but he hoped that he could find out where she was from someone in the camp. Everyone that Bellamy spoke to said that they didn't remember seeing her.

Bellamy was starting to get worried about her when he stumbled into Clarke. "You're up?" he asked, surprised that she wasn't asleep like most of the people in the camp were now.

"Yeah. Knowing that hundreds of people might be dying on the Ark makes it pretty hard to sleep," she said.

"Raven's flares will work." Bellamy returned.

"Her radio would've worked better." Clarke spat at him.

He knew he deserved her anger, but he couldn't worry about the Ark right now. "Have you seen Octavia?" he asked.

Clarke thought before she answered, "No, but it's Octavia. She's probably chasing butterflies." She seemed to dismiss the idea with a shrug before she turned toward her tent.

Bellamy touched her arm before she left. "Clarke, I've checked the camp. She's not here."

Clarke's expression changed from indifferent to worried at his words. She touched his hand where it was placed on her arm. "Ok. I'll help you find her. Let's check again. You go to the dropship. I'll check the rest of the tents."

"Thank you," Bellamy said before she turned away.

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for Octavia." Clarke snapped before she turned away from him.

Bellamy returned to the dropship and ran inside. He searched each floor carefully, and woke up several of the people inside to ask about his sister. Finally, Bellamy returned outside, hoping that Clarke found her in one of the tents.

Clarke walked up from behind him, "Did you find her?" she asked before he noticed her approach. Bellamy turned around and shook his head. "No, I haven't seen her since this morning when I sent her back to camp. Where in the hell is she?"

"I don't know, but we will find her. We'll form a search party and retrace the path she took. We _will_ find her Bellamy." He nodded in agreement and walked with Clarke to the fire pit. Bellamy glanced at the people still gathered around the fire, and was pleased that they seemed alert and sober. "Hey everybody, gather round," Bellamy called out. Monroe, Roma, Diggs, Murphy and several others walked over to stand with him and Clarke. "Octavia is missing. She's been out there for 12 hours. Grab your weapons and whatever else you might need. We leave in five minutes." The small crowd jumped alert when he started speaking, and rushed to get ready. Bellamy and Clarke walked together, knowing they needed to find Finn.

When they reached his tent, the light was still on inside. Bellamy stood at the entrance and called out to him. "Finn. I need your help." Whispers came from the tent before Finn and Raven finally exited.

"What do you need?" Finn asked, looking between Clarke and Bellamy.

"Octavia never returned to camp. We are going out to find her. You are our best tracker." Finn nodded at Bellamy's request and turned back into his tent. He returned immediately with his pack. The small group moved toward the main entrance for the camp to wait for the rest of the search party to gather.

Everyone that Bellamy spoke to arrived quickly, with a few extras joining their ranks. Clarke tried to dissuade Jasper from joining, but the boy refused to stay behind. "Clarke, I need to do this," he said adamantly.

Bellamy placed his hand on her shoulder and looked at both of them. "We need all the people we can get." He admired the boy's courage. Jasper refused to leave the camp after his attack.

Their attention was drawn into the sky when one of the people around them called out, "Did you see that? Look up there. It's so beautiful." Hundreds of meteorites were burning through the sky, creating a beautiful light show.

Raven stepped forward and said, "They didn't work. They didn't see the flares."

Bellamy looked at her confused, "A meteor shower tells you that?"

"It's not a meteor shower, it's a funeral; hundreds of bodies being returned to the Earth from The Ark. This is what it looks like from the other side. They didn't get our message." Clarke answered solemnly.

Raven jumped at Bellamy, screaming, "This is all because of you!"

"I helped you find the radio," Bellamy stated in defense.

"Yeah, after you jacked it from my pod and trashed it!"

"Yeah, he knows. Now has to live with it." Clarke said.

"All I know is that my sister is out there and I'm gonna find her. What are we waiting for? Move out!" Bellamy said. He moved toward the forest with the group. When he noticed that Finn and Clarke weren't following, he turned back to the camp. "Finn? We're not gonna find her without you." The girls walked back through the camp talking as Finn moved to join them. Bellamy lead the search party in the direction he traveled this morning, ordering everyone to spread out and look for any sign of his sister.

* * *

_**Octavia's POV** _

Octavia woke slowly, her body continuing to scream for rest. She smelled something familiar and breathed deep, trying to remember the smell. Octavia opened her eyes and blinked a few times to clear her vision. She could see the moon through the ceiling, " _The moon?_ " She sat up when she remembered where she was and winced when she moved her leg. Octavia groaned and reached up to move the fur off of her so she could look at her leg.

As she moved the fur, she remembered the scent she found familiar. " _It's the same as the fur I found when I woke up in the forest. Did he-?_ " Octavia stopped the thought, not wanting to believe that he was somehow acting as her guardian angel. " _If the wings fit_ " she thought before shaking her head. She closed her eyes for a moment, realizing that shaking her head was a bad idea at the moment.

Octavia finally looked down at her leg. She untied the bandage that was tied around it, and was amazed. " _He fixed it?_ " She looked for him in the cave, but couldn't see anyone. "Hello, is anybody here?" she called out. When she was answered by silence, she retied the bandage and looked around the cave. The candles and fire were both extinguished, but the moon provided some light for her to see. She spotted the bread and tea placed on the table beside her, and reached for the small bowl. She sipped the liquid gingerly, but returned it to the table when she found it distasteful. She ate the bread quickly, and started contemplating what she could do.

Octavia knew that her brother would begin looking for her when he discovered that she never returned to camp. She remembered what her brother had been saying about the Grounders, and what happened to Jasper. She began to worry what this Grounder might plan to do with her when he returned. She didn't think that he would harm her, but she refused to wait to find out what his plan was.

Octavia grabbed onto the table, and pushed herself up to test her leg. She was satisfied that she could manage walking. She walked to the tunnel that lead outside and carefully made her way through the darkness. When she reached the exit, she realized that she would not be able to climb up to get out of the cave by herself.

Slowly Octavia felt the anxiety of being trapped start to build. She tried telling herself, " _I am not afraid,_ " but it didn't help. She returned to the main room of the cave and looked around. She examined at some of the objects on the shelves and tables around the room, intrigued by the items she couldn't recognize. When she reached the rear of the cave, she found a small part of the wall was packed with rocks to close in a crack. " _If I can move these rocks, I might be able to get out of here_ " _._ Octavia reached for her small knife, and realized that her small pouch was missing. She searched the shelves nearby and found an antler.

Octavia used the antler to pry the rocks from the wall. When she broke through the crack, she could see faint moonlight filtering through the rocks. She moved a few more rocks to enlarge the hole so she could crawl through. She carefully lifted herself up into this small tunnel, and rested when she got her legs safely inside. Finally, Octavia pulled herself through the tight tunnel, nearly getting stuck a few times. When she finally reached the end of the crack, Octavia collapsed on the ground to catch her breath again.

* * *

_**Bellamy's POV** _

A short time after the search party left camp, one of the young men called out, "Look! Over here!" Bellamy moved quickly to reach him. He pointed down a steep bank that lead to a ravine. "What is it?" he asked.

"Right there. You see it? Is that Octavia's?" He pointed down the bank with his flashlight to a small shrub. A small object appeared to be stuck in the branches. Bellamy called out for rope and set his pack down on the ground. "What are you doing?" Finn asked him as he secured the rope around a tree near the bank.

"We need the rope to get back up." He said as he grabbed hold of the rope in one hand. He grabbed the flashlight from the guy standing next to him and started easing himself down the bank. He pulled the scrap of fabric from the shrub and recognized it. Octavia made the pouch to carry her dagger in shortly after they arrived. Bellamy sharpened a sliver of scrap metal from the dropship into a blade for her to carry with her at all times. The blade was still secured inside the pouch, but the strap she used to carry it on her hip was ripped. "It's hers." He yelled up the hill. "I'm going all the way down."

Bellamy reached the bottom of the ravine and used the flashlight to search the ground for any sign of his sister. He was standing in the middle of a dried creek bed littered with large rocks. He crouched down and placed his hand on the rock that was stained with blood. Finn and Jasper appeared behind him and examined the scene as well.

Finn pointed to a set of large foot prints scaring the mud. "Someone else was here." He followed the prints, pointing out shallower and to deeper ones. "The prints are deeper going that way. He was carrying her." Bellamy nodded his agreement and looked back to the rocks.

Jasper spoke with a shaky voice, "If they took her, she's alive. Like when they took me." Bellamy turned to the group at the top of the ravine, trying to ignore the idea of his sister being held captive by the people that staked Jasper out to die.

"Everybody get down here, we found tracks."

Finn followed the tracks from the ravine to a well-used path cutting through the forest floor. Bellamy followed close behind him, trying to understand the trail he was following. The dark path appeared abandoned, but everyone was on edge. They followed the path for over a mile before they saw something reflecting back through the trees. As they got closer, they recognized human skeletons displayed on the trees at either side of the trail.

Everyone in the group started murmuring about the Grounders. Bellamy understood their fear, but he couldn't consider not continuing the search for his sister. He turned to the group and spoke, "Go back if you want. My sister, my responsibility." Many of the people in the search party turned back to camp and ran. Bellamy nodded to those that stayed before turning back to face the Grounder's territory. "I'd walk into hell to find her," he said to himself as he started walking.

Finn overheard Bellamy's words and replied, "I think we just did."

* * *

_**Lincoln's POV** _

Lincoln could feel the fatigue from the day wearing into his bones, but he knew that he couldn't rest until the day's events were explained. He thought about returning to his cave so he could sleep, and contemplated what he would need to do about the woman he left in his bed. He needed to return her to her people before she was discovered. She was becoming too much of a distraction for him. Lincoln knew he couldn't care for the woman, they had no future together; yet he couldn't help being infatuated by her.

Lincoln returned to the drop ship a short time later. He could hear the sound of celebration from behind the wall, and crept up the edge of the boundary. Everyone appeared to be inside the camp, because Lincoln couldn't spot any of the sentries. He wasn't able to hear very much from his position, so Lincoln moved closer to the wall. They seemed to believe that their signal worked, but no one seemed to think that they started a war by using their signal. Lincoln realized that they were unaware of the consequences of their signal.

He moved around to a different part of the camp, and found Octavia's brother moving through the camp searching. Lincoln watched as he moved from tent to tent, speaking to people. Lincoln was finally able to find out what the man was looking for when the blonde exited a tent. He was looking for his sister because he realized that she never returned to the camp. Lincoln thought about the girl that was probably still sleeping in his home. He watched as a small group formed to discuss finding the missing member of their camp. They armed themselves to travel back through his people's land to search for her. Lincoln knew that the warriors would stalk the Sky People once they entered the village's territory. This search would appear to be a direct attack, no matter how small the group.

Lincoln left the camp to return to his cave. He hoped that he could reach the cave and return the girl to her people before they made it too far into his people's territory. If he could return her to her brother, perhaps her and her brother could return to their home before the fighting started. Lincoln knew that Anya would not attack the camp without a direct order to do so from the Commander.

Lincoln travelled quickly through the woods, but shortly after he crossed into his village's territory, he was stopped by one of the warriors. He explained to the man some of what he learned at the camp. "They haven't yet realized that they assaulted the village. They are celebrating that they launched their signal right now. All of them are drunk, and most of them have started to retire. I'm going to do the same. There is nothing else to learn about them tonight." Lincoln stepped back from the man and bid him a safe night before continuing.

It was after dawn when Lincoln finally returned to the cave. He knew that he wouldn't have much time to return her to her people before his people discovered them. If he could move quickly, he thought he would be able to pull it off. Lincoln entered the cave quietly, not wanting to scare Octavia. He had to relight the candle that had burnt out in his absence. Lincoln lifted the candle and turned to the bed to wake his guest. Lincoln placed his hand on the empty bed, and felt that it was cold. He searched the cave even though he knew that he wouldn't find her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10- Captive and Captor, will be out soon. Please review and let me know how you are enjoying this story!


	10. Chapter 10- Captor and Captive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lincoln has Octavia in his cave healing from her injuries. Bellamy is deep in Grounder territory trying to find his sister and losing his men one by one. Octavia seeks a way out to return to her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update! Sorry everybody, I've been a little busier then usual lately, and couldn't find the time to finish this any faster. Please enjoy chapter 10!

_**Octavia's POV** _

When she finally opened her eyes, Octavia could see the sun breaking the horizon. She used the crack in the rock she just exited to stand, and looked around. She couldn't recognize the terrain, so Octavia followed the rock face around. She spotted the entrance to the tunnel and guessed her direction from there. She remembered what side of the entrance that they approached from, so Octavia decided to start in that direction.

Octavia wasn't able to walk very fast because her leg burned every time she moved it. She limped through the trees, trying to keep a straight path; hoping _that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line_ would benefit her. About half an hour into her walk, Octavia heard a woman screaming. She jumped at the sound, and her leg shuddered, making her stumble backwards. Octavia started to call out to the girl, assuming it was someone from the camp helping to search for her.

Octavia felt a set of strong arms wrap around her, one around her torso, and the other covering her mouth. Octavia screamed into the hand, but no sound came out. She tried to pull the arms off of her as she kicked behind her, but she was too weak to be effective. She was lifted from the ground and pulled behind a large oak tree. The man pulled her down into a crouching position and covered her with his body. His hand stayed over her mouth so she couldn't alert anyone to their position.

They watched in silence as one of the Sky People, Roma, ran across the path Octavia was just travelling on. Octavia was horrified when a spear cut through the air and pinned the girl against a tree. Octavia watched as the girl died, and realized that she would have been the recipient of that spear if she hadn't been pulled behind the tree.

Finally, Octavia's captor removed his hand from her mouth and lifted her up onto her feet. She looked up at the man that saved her yet again. " _How did he do it? How did he find me and stop me just as I would have been killed? Again,_ " she thought. He grasped her hand in his large one and pulled her behind him. She knew where he was taking her, but she was too shocked to think to stop him.

After about a mile, Octavia collapsed against a tree. She was exhausted and her leg was too painful for her to ignore. She looked up at the Grounder when he turned back to her and said, "I can't. My leg won't let me walk any farther. I need to take a break" He saw the pained expression on her face, and dropped his gaze to the bandaging on her leg. He walked back to where she stood, and lifted her into his arms easily.

She looked up at his face and studied it. He had some kind of paint applied to his eyes and cheeks. The black color looked menacing, but it didn't detract from his features. He had high cheek bones and a sharp jaw. She couldn't deny that she found him attractive.

Octavia's thoughts drifted to the girl that she just watched die. "Thank you for saving me, again. That girl back there, I knew her. Her name is Roma, and she is one of my people. If she is here, then my brother is here looking for me. Please, I must go find him before he gets killed too." She watched the Grounder's face for a reaction, but his expression didn't change.

"You don't even understand me do you? Great." He looked down at her as she spoke, but she couldn't see any understanding in his eyes. Octavia folded her arms over her chest and decided that she would have to escape again to find her brother.

When they reached the cave, he set her on her feet again so he could open the hatch. He lifted her once more to jump down into the cave. He carried her to the bed again and set her down. She watched as he walked across the room to retrieve something. "Why are you taking care of me? You found me in that ravine, you fixed my knee. You saved me from that river monster. And you were the one that gave me the fur blanket and the flower, weren't you? But I don't understand; why?" She sighed and moved to stand, "Please, just let me go to my brother before he gets himself killed trying to find me."

He turned and looked down at her for a moment, Octavia gasped when she saw what he held in his hand. She lifted her hands to try to stop him, but he easily grabbed both of her wrists with one of his hands. He wrapped a chain around her wrists and secured it with a small lock. "What are you doing? No, please don't do this!" Octavia fought against him, pulling on her hands to try to free one of them. She trembled as he locked the other end of the chain around a large pillar of rock. "Please, untie me. That is all I ask. Please don't to this to me!" She pulled at the chain, trying to pull one of her hands free, but her wrists couldn't move. She watched as he turned and left the cave again.

* * *

_**Lincoln's POV** _

The fallen rocks in the back of the cave showed Lincoln how the small woman managed to escape. Lincoln climbed back out of the cave and found where the small, exposed tunnel exited. Her tracks were easy to follow because she moved slowly on her injured leg. He couldn't help but hope that he would find her before his people did. They were likely to kill any of the Sky People found so deep in their territory. He followed her steps, searching through the brush for any sight of her. Lincoln heard movement in the distance, and jogged forward toward the source.

Lincoln finally caught sight of Octavia as she limped down the hill in front of him. She was moving deeper into their territory, and these woods were littered with traps and warriors. Lincoln was closing in on her when a scream cut through the trees. She jerked at the sound, and fell back. She struggled to get to her feet and opened her mouth to call out to her people. Lincoln reached around her and covered her mouth before pulling her down with him. He held her still and muffled her screams, so that the warriors did not find her as well. The girl that screamed a moment ago ran across the forest floor in front of them. They watched as she crossed the path Octavia had been using. He felt her jump when the spear pulled the girl off her feet. Her yelling and fighting stopped when she watched the young woman bleed out against the tree in front of them.

Lincoln knew he needed to get her to safety before she met the same fate. He stood and lifted her with him before taking her hand. She looked up at him, and he could see the fear and confusion in her eyes. He turned away from her and pulled her along with him. He was impressed that she was able to make such good time on their return to the cave. When the adrenaline from her escape finally wore off, Lincoln felt her hand pull from his. He turned to find her leaning against a tree, her legs shaking.

Finally, she spoke, "I can't. My leg won't let me walk any farther. I need to take a break." He knew that her leg was painful; he could see it written across her face. He looked at the bandage on her leg, and was glad that she had not damaged her injury any more in her escape.

Lincoln stepped toward her and lifted her into his arms. He was amazed at how light she really was. He enjoyed holding her so close to him. Lincoln could feel her watching him, and tried to distract himself by planning his next move. He knew that he had to return her to her home quickly, but the warriors would spot him before he was able to make it out of the area. He now knew that he no longer had enough time to return her to her people.

Suddenly she started speaking to him. Lincoln listened as she thanked him for saving her again, and listened as she begged him to let her go to her brother. He looked down at her when she asked if he could understand her. He struggled not to show her that he could understand her, because he couldn't share with her that he spoke her language. Her frustration grew at his lack of answer, and she looked away with a sigh.

Lincoln carried her into the cave and placed her back on the bed. He turned away from her, knowing that he couldn't leave her brother to die. Lincoln would ensure that she couldn't leave again, so he could save her brother for her. She spoke again as he moved around the cave. She questioned his motives for saving her, asking the same questions he had been asking himself. She asked about the fur he had placed on her to keep her warm when she fell asleep in the forest. Lincoln felt his hand start to tremble, _she knows_.

She continued talking, and Lincoln forced himself to continue with his plan. Lincoln pulled a length of chain from a box and turned to face her again. He watched the color drain from her face when she looked at his hands. She leaned away from him and lifted her hands to try to fight him, but Lincoln grabbed her quickly and secured her wrists together. He tried to ignore her pleas as he worked the chain around a rock pillar. She begged him to release her as tears rolled down her cheeks. The fear in her voice cut through him, but Lincoln knew what he had to do. He checked the locks on the chain before he quickly left.

* * *

Lincoln could still hear her crying out when he closed the hatch for the cave. He knew that she was terrified, and he couldn't blame her. Lincoln moved deeper into his people's territory so he could move forward with his plan. He knew that her brother was part of the search party being attacked, and he knew that the warriors would soon finish off the rest of the group. When Lincoln decided that he was in range of the warriors, he pulled his horn from his side and played two long warning notes. The signal would force his people to retreat, and hopefully give him enough time to reunite the siblings and send them home.

Lincoln waited for the warriors to seek shelter for the horn signal before searching out Octavia's brother. Lincoln ran through the forest quickly until he spotted a large piece of fabric laid across the ground. Lincoln moved close enough to recognize the fabric from their camp, and he could see the shape of the people hiding underneath. Lincoln made a mental note of their location and turned back to his cave to retrieve Octavia. He was comfortable that he bought enough time with the fog warning that he could reunite the siblings. He would then lead them out of Grounder territory and get her to a safe area before the warriors returned.

* * *

_**Bellamy's POV** _

They had travelled deep into Grounder territory by the time the sun rose into the sky. The group was resting while Finn studied the tracks they had been following. Bellamy looked up from the dirt and leaves that he couldn't read to check on his group. "Murphy? Where is Murphy?"

Jasper turned, looking over his shoulder, "He was here just a moment ago." They spotted Grounders darting in and out of the trees, slowly closing in on the group. "They took him, they must have."

"We should run," Finn shouted. The group immediately followed his suggestion, running through the forest quickly. The Grounders swept in on the group, forcing them to change their direction.

When they realized they were being herded, the group stopped and formed a circle to defend themselves. "What do we do?" Monroe asked. Jasper was trying to catch his breath, and added, "I can't keep moving." Diggs darted from the group, shouting behind him, "I'm not stopping for him." Bellamy watched him run off, but stayed with the group. He scanned the trees, watching for the attack that was sure to come.

A scream from the woods rattled all of them. Roma called out, "Diggs!" before running into the trees where he disappeared. Bellamy motioned for the rest of them to follow, and they moved in a tight group after the girl. She screamed a moment later, encouraging the group to move faster. Bellamy spotted what made her scream, and realized why the Grounders were chasing them. "They are leading us here. They brought us here to kill us."

Bellamy scanned the trees, looking for their enemy. When he couldn't spot any of them, he realized that they must have pursued Roma. "They're after Roma. Come on." He ran ahead, hoping the rest of the group was following. Roma's agonizing scream tore through the forest a moment later, and they realized they were too late.

"Go back," Bellamy ordered, leading his people farther from the Grounders and their traps. They were able to put precious space between the grounders and themselves.

* * *

A short time later the group heard an eerie tone pass through the forest. Finn recognized the horn, "Acid fog. That is their signal to warn for it. I heard it right before the first fog."

"What do we do? We can't find somewhere to hide now." Bellamy said looking around and seeing nothing they could use for shelter. He watched as Finn pulled a large section of the parachute out of his bag. Bellamy helped him unfold the fabric, grateful for Finn's preparation. Bellamy waited for everyone else to get under the shelter before he crawled in himself.

They laid in silence under the stifling fabric for several minutes. Bellamy was growing more and more impatient with every minute that passed. He finally decided to check on the fog, hoping that they would be able to move soon. When he lifted the edge of the parachute, he couldn't see any of the yellow fog seeping under. He moved the fabric more, and realized that there was no fog. He threw the fabric off of himself and stood. "It must have been a false alarm. There's no fog."

Finn joined Bellamy, agreeing with his observation. Finn pointed through the trees silently. Bellamy saw the lone Grounder running through the trees, and stepped forward. "I think he's alone. I'm going after him."

"And what, kill him?" Finn questioned sarcastically.

"No," Bellamy answered seriously. "We capture him. I'll make him tell me where Octavia is; then I'll kill him."

They followed the grounder quietly, and watched as he entered a small, hidden cave. Bellamy turned to the group, "I'm going in first. Finn, Jasper, follow behind me, but slowly. Monroe, I need you to guard the entrance and watch our backs. Don't do anything stupid guys; you need to get back to the camp."

* * *

_**Octavia's POV** _

Octavia felt the panic building again. She fought to gain control of her thoughts, " _I am not afraid._ " Finally, Octavia looked around for anything that could be helpful. She looked at the length of the chain, and realized that she could to move around a good portion of the cave. She stood and examined the lock attaching her to the rock. She moved to find something to use to pry through the lock. She wasn't able to find anything that could help her, other than one of the large rocks that she pulled loose earlier. She grasped the rock between her hands, and carried it to the pillar that kept her captive. Octavia struck the lock hard with the rock, but it just bounced back off. She hit it several more times, each time hoping that it would shatter. Octavia heard the hatch open and scrambled around, trying to figure out what to do.

She sat down in front of the pillar, using the shadows to hide the rock. She clutched the rock between her hands, knowing that it was the only thing she would be able to protect herself with. When she heard the footsteps coming closer, Octavia tightened her grip on the rock and straightened her back. She could feel his presence when he stopped behind her. He sat down in his heels behind her and didn't move. Octavia turned her head to look at him, keeping her hands tightened around the rock in her lap. His eyes met hers before he leaned down toward her, reaching for her hands. Octavia felt the fear building up again and channeled that fear into her movements. She swung her hands up and slammed the rock into his temple. She watched as he staggered back, but did not fall. She stood, hitting him again on the head. When he fell to the ground, he didn't move. She moved tentatively toward him, searching for the key to the lock.

Octavia reached for the key in the Grounder's hand, and froze when she heard the hatch open again. She quickly pulled the key from his open palm before trying to hide in the shadows. She pulled her legs up to her chest to make herself as small as possible. She started chanting, " _I am not afraid,_ " over and over as she heard the movement coming down the tunnel.

* * *

_**Lincoln's POV** _

Lincoln entered the cave and moved slowly toward the woman. She was sitting on the floor next to the pillar. He crouched down behind her, trying not to get too close or scare her. He watched her slowly turned to face him; he could see that the fear was still controlling her. Lincoln hated to treat her so badly, but he didn't have the time to find another option earlier. Lincoln reached forward to release her hands so he could lead her to her brother. If they could move quickly, he could have the group back to their camp before the warriors returned.

Lincoln was stunned when she slammed the rock against his head. He struggled to maintain consciousness and reached for her again. She hit him once more, and this time everything went black.

* * *

Lincoln could hear her talking, "How did you find me?" A male answered her, stating that they followed Lincoln back to the cave. He didn't understand how they were able to follow him without his noticing. He was distracted on his way back to the cave, but he shouldn't have missed a group following him.

He could hear her begging to leave before he woke up, but another man had different ideas. Lincoln understood exactly what he planned to do when he heard him cross the room and pull a spear from the wall. Lincoln refused to be slaughtered in such a manner, and prepared to fight back. He could hear Octavia pleading with the man, and was touched that she didn't want revenge for his keeping her locked in here.

Lincoln struggled to hold still when he felt someone leaning over him. He needed to wait to strike, or he could lose his advantage by surprising his opponent. When the person tried to remove his foghorn, Lincoln decided that he had waited long enough. He pulled his dagger free and thrust it deep into the young man that was leaning over him. He used the momentum of the strike to push the man off and jumped to his feet.

He spotted his executioner standing in front of Octavia, ready to defend her. He admired the man for doing such, before launching at his opponent. He grabbed the spear and twisted, pulling the surprised man off his feet. Lincoln managed to break his grip as he fell, and pinned him under the point of the spear.

Octavia's yelling made him hesitate. It was her brother that he had pinned to the ground. He held firm against the man's fighting, but he couldn't bring himself to kill her brother in front of her like this. Lincoln felt a sudden, crippling pain in the back of his head, and felt nothing more.

* * *

_**Bellamy's POV** _

Bellamy jumped down into the dark tunnel and looked around. He could see a faint amount of light from around the curve ahead. He crept through the tunnel and glanced around the wall into the main body of the cave. He spotted the grounder they were following sprawled out on the ground, and entered the cave, looking for any other sign of life. He could see a small figure cowering in the shadows, but it made no move to attack. He stood warily, watching as the shadow slowly looked up. "Bellamy?" his sister cried out.

Bellamy rushed across the room calling out to her. When he reached her side, he noticed that her hands were chained, and could see that she held a key in her palm. He took the key from her and released the lock. As he unwound the chain, he called out behind him. "Finn, watch him," he said, nodding to the unconscious man. Bellamy rose and pulled his sister up into an embrace. He pulled her up with him when he stood, and pulled her into an embrace.

Bellamy watched her walk over to greet Jasper, and turned his attention to the Grounder. His rage grew as he stared down at the man, the man that captured and chained up his baby sister. Octavia turned around and looked at the Grounder. Bellamy ignored her when she pleaded to leave, knowing that he couldn't turn his back on the man that stole his sister. Bellamy looked into her eyes, and could see that her fear was still present. "He won't wake up," he said before crossing to the wall and grabbing the unfinished spear that rested against it.

Bellamy turned back and was faced with his sister. "Bellamy, stop," she pleaded. "He didn't hurt me, he saved me. Let's just go home." He pulled the spear away from her and walked past her before she could fight him again. Bellamy looked down at Finn, who was now examining something the Grounder had attached to him. "Finn, move" he ordered, stepping closer.

"Foghorn," Finn said quietly, before trying to pull the object free. Bellamy lifted the spear when the Grounder suddenly stabbed Finn and threw him to the side. Bellamy braced himself when the man rose to face him. He was surprised by the size of the man, who was half again his own size. Bellamy charged forward, aiming the spear at the man's chest, hoping to catch him off guard.

The Grounder was faster than Bellamy expected. He grabbed onto the spear, pushing and twisting it around. Bellamy couldn't fight the man's grip, and found himself on the ground under the point of the spear. When Octavia screamed out to the Grounder, Bellamy could see his eyes clear and his posture relax slightly.

* * *

_**Octavia's POV** _

Octavia cowered in the dark, pulling her legs tighter against her chest as she tried to disappear. Shadows danced across the floor and walls, and Octavia dared to glance at the new arrival. She expected that more Grounders would come, wanting to use their new prisoner for their benefit. When the first person entered the circle of light, Octavia jumped up, calling out. "Bellamy!" she cried. Her brother rushed to her, looking down momentarily at the fallen Grounder before his eyes found the chain around her wrists.

"The key," she said, thrusting her open palm toward him. Bellamy pulled the key from her hand and released the lock. She watched eagerly as he unwrapped the chain from her wrists. He pulled her up with him when he stood, and pulled her into an embrace.

Octavia looked around at the rest of her small rescue group. She limped across to Jasper and hugged him. "How did you find me?" she asked. Jasper pointed to the Grounder, "We followed him."

When Octavia looked down at the man, she realized that they needed to leave quickly. "We need to go now. Before he wakes up, before any of his people find us." She looked at her brother, hoping he would agree with her. She could see the rage boiling inside Bellamy, and was starting to fear what her brother would decide to do. He moved to the wall and grabbed a spear that was laid against it.

"He's not going to wake up," Bellamy answered quietly. He held the spear firmly as he crossed the cave. Octavia moved in front of him and grasped the spear. "Bellamy, stop," she pleaded. "He didn't hurt me, he saved me. Let's just go home." She tried to hold the spear, but he easily twisted the wood from her hands and walked passed her.

"Finn, move," he ordered. Finn was kneeling over the Grounder, examining something at the man's waist. He canted his head slightly, before saying, "Foghorn." They watched as he pulled on the object, trying to lift it free from its owner. The Grounder struck quickly, thrusting Finn to the side with a dagger, and raising into a crouch. Bellamy jumped in front of his sister, holding the spear ready to fight.

Octavia had to look away when the man jumped at her brother. She dropped beside Finn and looked at his injury. The blade was embedded up to the hilt on his left side. She looked up at his eyes and realized that he was already in shock from the pain.

The sound of fighting drew her attention back to her brother. The Grounder had him pinned to the floor under the spear. The spear was aimed over Bellamy's throat, and the anger burned in the back of Octavia's mind. She yelled out at the Grounder, "Stop! That's my Brother!" She could only hope that he would understand.

The man seemed to hesitate at her words, but Jasper did not. Octavia watched as he jumped toward the Grounder, and slammed his iron rod against the man's head. They watched in silence as the man fell to the ground.

When Bellamy rose, Octavia turned her attention to Finn again. She thought it was a good sign that he was still lucid, and looked at the wound. The amount of blood staining his shirt made Octavia worry for his fate. She rose and limped across the cave to retrieve several cloth rags from a basket. She used the rags to staunch the blood flow, holding them in place as Bellamy moved about the cave muttering to himself.

* * *

_**Bellamy's POV** _

Bellamy struggled with himself, trying to decide what to do with the Grounder. He wanted to kill him and get it over with, but the thought alone made him sick. He didn't want to be a murderer. He knew they couldn't leave the man here, the Grounders would declare war on them. Bellamy paced around the cave, trying to form a plan quickly. When he spotted the chain, Bellamy realized what his only option was. He pulled on the chain and wrapped it around the man's wrists, securing them tightly behind his back. Bellamy checked the lock again before calling Monroe inside.

"Monroe, you are to stay here and guard our prisoner. I have to get Finn back to camp quickly." The girl looked at Finn and at the Grounder. She nodded silently, and stood near the tunnel to watch the prisoner.

"Jasper, I'm gonna need your help getting Finn home." Jasper nodded immediately, still kneeling next to Finn. Bellamy reached under Finn's shoulders, and helped him to his feet. Jasper and Octavia moved ahead, and were waiting on the outside by the time Bellamy and Finn reached the exit. When they finally got Finn out of the cave, Bellamy and Jasper both walked with him, supporting most of his weight.

The group travelled silently through the forest, none of them wanting to discuss what they experienced. Bellamy was surprised at their progress. Even with two injured members, the group was able to reach the Grounder boundary by early afternoon. When they were out of sight of the boundary, Bellamy called for a rest. Finn was barely moving at this point, and Octavia was wincing with every step.

They sat in the shade for a short time, but Finn's injury made them press on. Finn was starting to lose consciousness, and Bellamy knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer without help. "We need to keep moving. We don't have far to go now." The group struggled to their feet, and continued trudging toward home.

Bellamy estimated that they were about a mile from home a short time later. When Finn suddenly fell limp, Bellamy and Jasper stopped moving. "You two need to get to camp. Tell Clarke that Finn is injured, and help her get ready for him. I'll get him there as soon as I can." Bellamy lifted Finn into his arms before either of them had a chance to argue with him. He watched as they walked ahead, much faster than he would be able to move.

Bellamy moved carefully through the trees, trying not to bounce Finn around and damage anything else with the knife. When he finally spotted the camp, two of the men ran out to meet him. They took Finn from him and carried him into the camp together. Bellamy sighed at the sudden loss of weight. He was surprised that his arms hadn't given out long before now.

* * *

_**Octavia's POV** _

Octavia watched the men carry Finn into the dropship and into Clarke's care. Everyone around the camp was blaming her for Finn getting hurt. They blamed her for the people that didn't return. The chatter was already wearing into her, and she had to find an escape. Octavia turned from the camp and walked back into the trees, trying to escape the voices that were mirroring her thoughts.

Her brother's voice stopped her just outside the wall. "Hey, why were you defending that Grounder?"

She turned to face him before she answered. "Because, he saved my life. That spear that hit Roma was actually meant-"

Bellamy cut her off, "No, you're wrong. I saved your life. For all you know, he was keeping you alive to use you as bait for one of their traps."

"You don't know that Bell! This wasn't the first time he saved me. I don't think he would have done that," She realized now that her fears were probably wrong.

"You don't think, O! That's the problem. They killed 3 of our people today. And if you would've let me kill him when I had the chance, Finn wouldn't be in there dying right now."

Octavia felt her anger building again. Bellamy blamed his murdering the chancellor on her, and now he was blaming her for these casualties too. She couldn't stand to hear this from him. "Stop blaming me for your mistakes. What happened to Finn is not my fault. I wanted to leave, so if Finn dies in there, that's on you. Everything that's gone wrong is because of you. You got me locked up on The Ark. You wanted me to go to that stupid dance. You got mom killed!"

Bellamy looked around as she spoke. He could feel his anger building up, but he didn't care to suppress it.

"Me? Mom was floated for having you. She's dead because you're alive. That was her choice. I didn't have a choice. My life ended the day you were born." Octavia shook with her anger and turned away from her brother. She needed to get as far away from him as she could.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bellamy grabbed her arm when she tried to leave.

"You can't keep me locked up in here forever." Octavia spat at him. She turned and went to the drop ship to find a distraction.

* * *

_**Bellamy's POV** _

Bellamy watched as his sister limped back into the dropship. He already regretted how he spoke to her, but he didn't have the time to fix it. Bellamy looked up at the sky, at the dark clouds slowing rolling in on the horizon. The wind started picking up before they reached the camp, and he knew they didn't have long before the storm hit. Bellay turned to the sentry posted at the gate, and ordered him to return to camp. Bellamy sealed the new makeshift gate. He wanted all of his people inside to protect them from the grounders and the incoming storm.

Bellamy went to speak with Jasper and Monty. He wanted to retrieve their prisoner before one of his people found him. They needed to move fast so they could return before the storm hit. He found the pair in their tent, apparently discussing everything that Jasper saw during the trip.

"We must go get the Grounder and bring him here. His people will find him if we wait." Bellamy watched as the two thought about returning to the Grounder territory. "I have to know why he captured her, and what he planned to do with her," Bellamy continued.

Jasper stood, knowing that they needed answers from the savage. "I'm in," he said, looking down at Monty. Monty looked between the two men, and finally gave and exacerbated sigh. "Fine, I'm in too."

They exited the tent and walked through the crowd. Bellamy was searching for Miller now; he wanted a secure area ready for their prisoner when they returned. After speaking with him, the group slipped out of the camp unnoticed.

Bellamy lead the two back to the cave, listening to Jasper recount everything they faced in the Grounders' land. As they crossed the boundary again, Jasper and Monty fell silent. All three were on edge, looking around for any signs of attack. The incoming storm must have convinced the warriors to remain in their shelters instead of returning to the hunt.

When they reached the cave, Bellamy called down to Monroe. She appeared under the hatch a moment later. "Our prisoner is awake, but he won't speak. He's been sitting on the floor, staring at the bed since he came to." Bellamy was surprised that the man was being so docile, and entered the cave to see for himself.

The Grounder didn't even look up when they entered the room. Bellamy walked to the edge of the limit of the chain and looked down at the man. He sat on his heels, back straight, head held high. The only part of him that didn't make him look like the warrior Bellamy saw earlier, was his eyes. Bellamy could see the defeat in the man's eyes, but he knew that he wouldn't give up without a fight.

"Why? Why her?" Bellamy asked. The Grounder didn't even react to his words. Bellamy's anger still boiled beneath the skin. "Why did you take her? I want to know why you stole her and chained her in here!" The Grounder finally looked up at his yelling, but still refused to answer. Bellamy swung and punched him in the cheek. The Grounder didn't make a sound when he hit him, and straightened himself back onto his heels. Bellamy continued yelling at him, "Why, why her?" and hitting the man when he refused to answer.

Monroe finally grabbed Bellamy by the shoulder, stopping him from hitting the man that was now sprawled on the floor. "That's enough, Bellamy. I'm not sure he knows English. I've tried speaking to him, and he didn't look like he understood anything I said."

Bellamy looked at Monroe, then at Jasper and Monty. All three of them seemed to be wary of approaching him. Bellamy turned back to the Grounder, saying, "We don't have time for this." He walked past him to the pillar that the chain was secured to. He pulled the key out and used it to release the lock. He pulled the chain from the rock and coiled it up. The Grounder watched him silently, as if he understood exactly what was about to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love hearing from my readers, so please comment below!
> 
> Chapter 11 will be out in about 2 weeks. Thankfully The 100 airs tomorrow night!


	11. Chapter 11- To Gain Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lincoln has been captured by the Sky People. They need to know why he captured Octavia, and how to save Finn's life. They prove willing to do whatever it takes to gain information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished this chapter! I'm sorry for taking so long, but I couldn't couldn't seem to get it typed out like I wanted. I hope you enjoy this chapter!   
> I would like to thank my wonderful Beta's, adoctoraday and TheVintagePanda, for all of the support and help!

# Chapter 11- To Gain Information

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

Lincoln could feel something pulling him from the darkness, but what it was, he didn’t know. The pain he felt radiated through everything, but he felt something stronger, something more important that demanded his attention. Lincoln opened his eyes slowly, a feat that was more difficult than it should have been. When his eyes finally focused, he looked around slowly, trying to gain his bearings. Lincoln was first comforted by the fact that he was in his home, but when he tried to move, he realized that he was restrained. _I’m a prisoner,_ he thought. Slowly, he remembered the events that led up to his capture. _Octavia_.

After he returned to the cave to take her to her brother, she slammed a large rock into his head. When he recovered from the blow, Lincoln found that her brother and his group had found his cave, and Octavia. The conversation became worrisome, and Lincoln knew that he would have to defend himself against the group. He knew that they didn’t understand what his plan was, but he could not lie down and wait for their unjust punishment. He would not be slaughtered like an animal for his actions. Lincoln struck the man who tried to steal his fog horn; he would not lose one of his most important items to a scavenger. He knew that he would have to fight his way out of the group, but he hoped he would be able to do so without killing everyone that he just saved.

Lincoln now realized his mistake. His sympathy in that moment was the reason he was now their prisoner. Lincoln wondered what his punishment would be. His people could be cruel in their punishments, but their justice served a purpose. The criminals were used as an example, punished publically to remind the others of their laws and their purpose. Victims were given closure, allowed to take part in the punishment; to make the choice of how severe or lenient a lesson the criminal earned.

Lincoln struggled to sit up, his hands restrained behind his back making the action difficult. He settled with sitting on his knees before he tested the chain that held his hands. He knew that he couldn’t break free from the chain, but he was able to reposition his wrists to a more comfortable position. Lincoln heard a shuffling in the tunnel that led to the entrance of the cave. He looked up at the intruder as she appeared from the shadows. When she saw that he was awake, she placed her hand on the makeshift sword on her side. She moved forward slowly, wary of him. “Good morning, did you have a nice nap?” she asked sarcastically. Lincoln continued to stare at the young woman in front of him, realizing that she was not as confident as she tried to appear. She moved nervously, always watching him, as if waiting for him to strike. She had potential, but she lacked experience.

Lincoln watched as she moved around the cave, examining his trinkets and treasured items. He tried not to get angry at her disrespect; Lincoln knew that he would never again have the chance to study the ancient books, or add to his collection of old world toys. Her respect for the items surprised him; most of his people that thought his fascination with the antiques were wasted.

The young woman pulled a water bag down from the wall and opened it. After she tested the contents, she drank from it and crossed the room to face Lincoln. He looked up to meet her gaze, but refused to take the offer of drink. Lincoln turned his attention to the fire instead, allowing himself to get lost in his thoughts.

He couldn’t help but hope that Octavia would be safe. He had spent his time these last few weeks watching over her as she explored the world around her. Her free spirit intrigued him, for he had lost that curiosity at a young age. He wanted her to continue exploring, and learning; she truly bloomed when she entered the woods. He didn’t want her to lose that part of herself.

Lincoln ignored the woman when she tried talking to him. She would walk out to the entrance of the cave to look for anyone coming toward the cave occasionally, and every time she returned she would question him. “Why did you capture Octavia? What did you plan to do to her? Why did you attack Finn? Was it you that attacked Jasper too?” She repeated her questions each time she returned to the room. Lincoln continued to stare into the fire, refusing to show any understanding at her words.

It was only a short time later that the woman returned from the entrance with more people. Lincoln looked up from the fire and saw the angry expression on Bellamy’s face. He understood the emotion, and knew that it was rightly placed. Bellamy couldn’t understand what Lincoln planned to do; he could only assume that Lincoln meant them all harm. Bellamy crossed the cave and stopped directly in front of Lincoln. He towered over him, shaking with anger. Lincoln continued staring into the man’s angry eyes, waiting for him to make a move. Finally, Lincoln felt his fist slam hard against his face. His head slammed to the side, but Lincoln was able to maintain his posture.

“Why? Why her?” Bellamy screamed at him. Lincoln looked back up into the man’s eyes, refusing to answer his question. Bellamy stood still, waiting for the answer that wouldn’t come. “Why did you capture Octavia and chain her up in her? Why did you take her?” His words came out calmer this time, but the rage was burning brighter in his eyes. Lincoln sat perfectly still, waiting on Bellamy’s next move. When Bellamy realized he would not get any answers from him, he hit him again. Lincoln felt the man’s fist slam into his face again and again. The pain shot through his skull, nearly pushing him back into the darkness. His every instinct said to fight back, he could fight without his arms, but he couldn’t. He knew his best option was to just take their punishment quietly; it would be over faster that way.

Lincoln heard the others start yelling at Bellamy, felt them pull him off of him. He lay on floor of the cave, struggling to sit back up again now that Bellamy finally stopped hitting him. He straightened his head slowly, and looked up at the group now gathered around him. The girl that was guarding him spoke first. “I don’t think he understands us. I tried speaking to him while you were gone. He just kept staring at me like that.” She said, pointing to Lincoln.

Bellamy pushed his hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. “We need to get back to camp before the storm hits. We can’t stay in enemy territory any longer than we have to. We’re lucky we didn’t get attacked already.” Lincoln watched as he pulled the key from his pocket and stepped behind him. Lincoln heard him release the lock and gather up the chain. Bellamy walked around Lincoln again, pulling hard on the chain to make him stand. Lincoln struggled to rise, the pain in his head nearly making him pass out.

Bellamy pulled on the chain again, ordering “Move out.” Lincoln moved slowly toward the tunnel, still dizzy from standing. When they got to the entrance, the rest of the group exited first, before pulling Lincoln up by the chain. Lincoln staggered behind them, walking slowly through the forest.

As they walked through the forest, the storm quickly gathered strength and speed, moving fast overhead. Lincoln’s fatigue built just as quickly; his lack of sleep and the events of the last day exhausted him. He could feel the darkness calling to him again, but tried to fight against it, focusing on placing each foot in front of the other. He walked for several miles like this, thinking only of the feet below him. Soon the winds and rain from the storm became too strong, and Lincoln couldn’t fight the darkness any longer. He felt himself slip, and nothing else.

* * *

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Raven’s voice could be heard calling out through the dropship. “Calling Ark station, come in. The hundred are alive.” Octavia tried to block out the sound of her voice, focusing on the rain. The storm had blown in a short time ago, the thunder and wind shook the dropship. Finally, Octavia rose and went to speak with Clarke. “Is there anything I can get for Finn?”

Clarke looked around, trying to think of what she would need to treat him. “Does Monty have any of his moonshine left? I need something to clean the wound.” Octavia nodded and turned to leave the ship. She ran through the parachute that was covering the entrance, and kept running until she reached Monty and Jasper’s tent. She was already soaked through to the bone, but she could hardly waste time. Octavia looked around the tent, but couldn’t see the moonshine. She started throwing items around, and turned over their beds before she finally found the moonshine. Two canisters of the precious liquid were hidden under Monty’s bedding. Octavia grabbed one in each hand, and ran back to the dropship.

When Octavia entered the ship, Clarke and Raven were both hovering over the radio, talking to a broken, female voice. Clarke turned to Octavia and pulled one of the canisters from her hand. She opened it and smelled it, taken aback by the strong odor. Clarke placed the canisters on a small table next to Finn, beside a single, small needle. She looked back at Octavia, saying “I need something to do the stitches.” Octavia thought for a moment before replying. “There are wires in the upper level that we used for the tents.”

As Octavia turned to climb the ladder, Raven shouted at her. “Don’t touch the blue wires! I rigged them to the solar panels on the roof. That means they are hot, you got that?”

“Yea I got it,” Octavia shouted behind her as she continued climbing. She climbed up into the top level, which was empty. Most of the people were crowded on the lower level, unsure of what they should be doing during this storm. Octavia carefully pulled wires from the section that was already stripped of the protective layer. She separated the individual metal threads and wound them around her left hand. When she felt that she had more than enough, Octavia lowered herself carefully back down the ladder to the bottom floor.

When Octavia cleared her head from the portal that lead to the bottom floor, she heard someone yell, “They’re back!” She turned to look for her brother, relieved that he finally returned. She couldn’t help but worry when she found out that he disappeared again with Jasper and Monty shortly after her return earlier. “Bellamy” she called out to him, lowering herself down to greet him. When the rest of the group entered, dragging the unconscious Grounder with them, Octavia became enraged. “What are you doing?!”

“It’s time to get some answers,” he replied roughly. Octavia knew that her brother wanted more than the answers he spoke of. “You mean revenge?” she spat out angrily. Bellamy refused to meet her eyes, instead looking through the crowd around them. “I mean intel,” he answered. “Miller, get him upstairs.” Miller moved forward cautiously, signaling for the two young men beside him to help.

Clarke stepped forward, trying to speak some sense into Bellamy. “Look, this is not who we are.” Before Bellamy could reply, the broken voice on the radio called out again. When Bellamy heard the voice, Octavia could see fear flash across his eyes. She knew that he was worried about the Ark knowing he was alive, and now she understood how deep that fear ran. It reminded her of how she felt every time the inspectors searched their quarters. The fear that clawed at her while she was hiding in the floor, pretending not to exist, hoping not to be found.

He turned away from Clarke and Octavia, saying “It is now.” Bellamy moved toward the door, pulling the lever to close the main hatch, protecting his people from the ravaging storm outside. Octavia followed Clarke back over to Finn’s side, wondering what she could do to convince her brother that he was making a mistake.

* * *

 

Octavia decided that she couldn’t sit around any longer watching Clarke and Raven work on Finn. She looked at the ladder, knowing that she needed to speak to her brother and explain why he couldn’t take his anger out on the man that rescued her. Most of the people from the camp were now gathered in the middle section of the dropship, and Octavia could feel them staring at her as she climbed. Octavia pushed the hatch open and climbed through the portal to the top level. She could hear her brother’s voice above her. “Tighter. The last thing we need is that bastard getting free because you screwed up.” Octavia pulled herself up and turned, looking for the cause of the chaos.

Her eyes were drawn to her savior’s. She understood the confusion and fear that she could see in his eyes. Miller wrapped his hand around her arm immediately, “Octavia, you need to leave, you shouldn’t be here.” He pulled against the ropes, as if trying to reach her. He watched her silently when she turned to her brother, ignoring Miller’s request. “Bell, I told you he protected me. You don’t need to do this!” she pleaded.

Bellamy’s expression was cold when he looked at her. “This isn’t about you. I’m doing this for all of us.” Octavia looked at the Grounder, seeing the cuts and blood that weren’t on his face when she they left the cave earlier that day. She knew who caused them. “You did _that_ for us?”

He moved forward, motioning back to the prisoner. “I did that for Finn and Jasper, for Murphy, and Diggs, and Roma!” he yelled. The guilt burned again; their people were killed, or nearly killed, looking for her. “It wasn’t even him.” Octavia could only hope he would listen to her.

“You don’t know that,” he spat back at her. “We need to know what we are up against. How many there are, and why they are killing us. And he’s going to tell us right now.” He turned away from her, walking toward the Grounder again. Octavia stepped with him, grabbing onto his arm. “No, Bellamy. Please!”

He ripped his arm from her grip before speaking. “Miller, get her out of here.” Miller and Drew grabbed her by the arms to steer her toward the hatch. “I was there!” she yelled, but no one would listen. “Hey, get off me! Let go!” she screamed, pulling free from the both of them. She finally realized that none of them would listen to her opinion, but she tried once more. “I don’t even think he speaks English. He won’t understand you.” Octavia continued to the ladder, feeling defeated.

“Oh, I think he will,” Bellamy said, looking at the grounder.

* * *

 

**_Lincoln’s POV_ **

The weight on his arms forced Lincoln to wake. Even through the fog, he knew that something was happening, and that it needed his full attention. When he realized that his wrists were being bound out to his sides, Lincoln sprang into action, trying to pull free from the restraints. “He’s awake,” he heard someone nearby say. When he couldn’t pull free, Lincoln looked around, trying to find another way to help himself.

He spotted her quickly. She rose from the floor and looked up at him, fear and pain showing in her eyes. He stilled, shocked by the situation, and by her reaction. When she flinched away from the man’s touch, Lincoln pulled against the restraints, wishing he could keep any of them laying a hand on her. He watched as she spoke with her brother, pleading for him to change his mind. Lincoln realized that she understood he never meant for any harm to come to her, to any of them.

Lincoln stood patiently, allowing the men to finish their job without fighting them. They pulled his wrists tighter, and tied his feet down beneath him. He knew he would not be able to free himself, but he also knew there was no escaping his fate either. He would accept their punishment silently, bravely. Lincoln watched Octavia speak her mind against her brother.

Bellamy continued arguing with her; explaining that he wanted information out of him, not just revenge. Lincoln understood that this was no longer a punishment, this would be torture. He could survive their torture, but he wasn’t sure how she would. He could see her guilt; he could feel it in her voice as she pleaded with her brother. When the two men reached for her again, Lincoln strained against the ropes, trying to break free so he could keep them from touching her again.

She stood tall after breaking from their grip. “I don’t even think he speaks English. He won’t understand you.” Lincoln watched her sink down the ladder before he looked back at his captor. “Oh, I think he will,” he said, glaring at Lincoln. Lincoln straightened himself, returning the glare.

“What’s your name?” Bellamy asked. Lincoln continued glaring back at him. “What’s your name? Where is your camp?” The storm outside was picking up quickly; the wind and trees were slamming into the walls and making the entire ship shake. “What is your name?” he asked again, slower this time. “Where is your camp? How many people are there?” A huge crash made everything tremble. The men were thrown down from the force, and they rolled onto the floor with an assortment of loose objects. Lincoln’s shoulders strained from the pressure, but he couldn’t fall. Lincoln adjusted his weight when the shaking finally stopped, relieving the weight from his arms.

“Drew, go find out what just happened,” Bellamy said. Lincoln watched as the blonde boy scurried down the ladder. Lincoln watched as they walked around the room, picking up lamps and other supplies that were now scattered around the floor. “What’s going on? Are we under attack or what?” Bellamy yelled down after the boy. He appeared a moment later, replying, “It was just storm damage, we’re fine.”

Bellamy nodded before walking back up to Lincoln. “Alright, we’re going to try this one more time. What’s your name? Where is your camp? How many of you are there?” Lincoln continued staring at him. He wouldn’t answer his questions, he knew how this would all end, and he would much rather get it all over with. He wouldn’t betray his people; it wouldn’t do anything to help him.

The man in the corner stood up before calling out. “Hey, check this out.” He held up Lincoln’s medicine kit with a confused look on his face. “What is all this?” he asked. Lincoln watched Bellamy shrug before picking up something else. Lincoln recognized his journal and pulled against the ropes again. He grunted when the pain shot through his shoulder, but continued fighting against the restraints, trying to get to his book. Those pages held secrets from his land and his life. He knew how Bellamy would react after he looked through those pages.

“Looks like we found something he doesn’t want us to see, Miller,” Bellamy smirked. Lincoln watched as he turned the pages in the old leather-bound book. “These aren’t bad,” Lincoln heard him mumble. Lincoln knew when Bellamy reached one of the more recent drawings. He could see the man’s fingers dig into the book, but with a silent look Bellamy continued looking at the pages. He only turned a few pages before stopping again. Lincoln gauged his reaction to the drawing of the camp, and to the head count on the opposite page.

Bellamy spoke quietly, but Lincoln could still hear every word. “That’s our camp. I’m guessing if I counted all those marks, it would add up to 102.” The men looked at each other with confusion and fear in their eyes. “Ten are crossed out. That’s how many people we’ve lost.” Bellamy rose and turned toward Lincoln once more. “They’ve been watching us ever since we got here.” Lincoln felt his glare burning into his flesh, but he refused to meet the eyes of the man in front of him.

Bellamy paced around the floor in front of Lincoln, wringing his hands. The men stood by the far wall, wary of coming any closer to their prisoner. Lincoln stared at the hatch door, now closed and barred, wishing that they would realize that he wouldn’t answer their questions. Lincoln looked up when the man’s feet came to rest in front of him again. Bellamy looked at him, trying to measure any amount of understanding as he spoke. “Why are your people watching us? Why are you killing our people?” Lincoln continued to stare at him, refusing to show any ounce of understanding. Bellamy’s fist struck him in the temple, slamming his head to the side. Lincoln struggled to regain his vision; his head was weak, not yet recovered from Bellamy’s attentions that morning.

“Answer me! Who are you? Where is your camp?” Lincoln stared at the hatch, trying to lose himself in his thoughts, to make his remaining time move by faster. He felt the blow again, and didn’t resist it. He waited for his sight to clear again, until he realized that it was swelling and blood now prevented him from being able to see clearly.

Bellamy returned to pacing the floor, his agitation wafting off of him. Suddenly a pounding came from the door, and a woman’s voice called up. “Hey, open the door!” One of the men opened the hatch before attempting to block the ladder. Lincoln watched as the blonde climbed up, followed by Octavia. The blonde stomped across the small room and lifted Lincoln’s knife. “What’s on this?” she demanded, shaking the blade.

Bellamy looked confused by her question; Lincoln was only surprised that the boy was still alive. The poison Lincoln painted on his blades worked slowly, causing fever and hallucinations first, before the shaking started and breathing stopped. The boy would have died from the knife wound alone, unless someone with skill removed it. Lincoln was impressed the boy still lived, but he would not reveal the antidote to save him. That would give away his secret, and then they would keep him alive. He couldn’t live as their captive, betraying his people. He would gladly die for his silence.

She continued talking, explaining the poison to the others. “Is there an antidote?” she begged. Octavia spoke up, “Clarke, he doesn’t understand you.” Lincoln turned his attention to her when she spoke. She stood nervously in the background, looking at him, and at her people, trying to stay out of the way.

“Vials. It’s got to be here.” Bellamy passed the vials to Clarke, allowing her to examine them. “You’d have to be stupid to have a poison around this long without an antidote,” She said, tossing the knife to the floor. Lincoln watched Octavia as they searched through his vials, hoping to find the antidote. “Which one?” Clarke asked. Lincoln stood silently, continuing to look at her, trying to block out the pain and fatigue.

“Answer the question!” Bellamy ordered. Octavia finally spoke up, “Show us please. Which one is it?” Lincoln hated seeing the pain on her face, but he would not speak. Clarke stepped forward from the group, pleading with him, “Which one? Our friend is dying down there, and you can stop that.”

Lincoln struggled not to react to any of their pleas, and continued to stare forward. Finally, Bellamy stepped forward, “I’ll get him to speak,” he said somberly. Octavia stepped forward with him, confused. When he raised his fist again, Octavia grabbed his arm, hugging it to herself. “Bellamy, no!” she begged him. He turned back to her, “He wants Finn to die! Why can’t you see that?” She gaped at her brother, seeming shocked at this side of him. Bellamy turned to Clarke, “Do you want him to live or not?” he asked simply.

She struggled to answer, and Octavia stepped forward, trying to sway her choice. “Clarke, you said it yourself, this is not who we are! He was protecting me, he saved my life.”

“We’re talking about Finn’s life!” Bellamy interrupted. Lincoln watched Octavia look at both of them, waiting for what they would say next. “Do it,” was the quiet answer. Lincoln heard Octavia gasp, “No,” as her brother turned to one of the chairs with his knife. She turned to him, pleading with him again. “Just tell us.” Lincoln stood tall, and watched as the men again grabbed her, preventing her from coming any closer.

Bellamy returned to Lincoln’s side, with his knife ready. He grabbed the sleeve of Lincoln’s shirt, and cut through the material, ripping it off of him. “You’re going to show us the antidote, or you’re going to wish you had.” When he finished, Bellamy moved in front of him, trembling at the moment. Lincoln watched Octavia, who stood stunned, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. “Bellamy, no. Please,” she begged, but it fell on deaf ears. Bellamy lifted the strap he held in his hand, and swung. The hard metal clip on the end bit into Lincoln’s side, cutting deep. The pain was sharp and sudden; it radiated across his torso. Lincoln rose again, placing his weight on his feet instead of his wrists. He struggled to control his breathing, focusing on the in and out, refusing to let any sound escape.

The metal tore into his flesh again, ripping the slash in his side even larger. Lincoln bit his tongue to prevent any sound from crossing his lips. It was a sign of weakness for his people to yell out during a beating. Lincoln struggled to embrace the pain. Clarke dropped to the floor below him, spreading out the vials. “Which one?” she pleaded, but Lincoln raised his eyes, disregarding the bottles entirely. “Just tell them,” Octavia said, but Lincoln couldn’t. His answer would only lead to more questions.

Bellamy placed a hand on Clarke’s shoulder, making her move. Lincoln returned his gaze to Octavia, hoping to find a way to distract himself from the pain. Another blow landed on his side, cutting deep into the flesh. He didn’t have a chance to recover before the next blow hit. Again and again, Bellamy tore the metal into his flesh. Lincoln embraced the pain, trying to control it. He could taste blood in his mouth, but he let no sound crossed his lips.

Octavia screamed out, “Enough! Please stop.” Her voice was filled with pain, and Lincoln looked to her. A voice called up from below, and Lincoln watched as Clarke pointed amongst the vials again. “Which one? Tell me which one it is and they’ll stop.” Lincoln wanted to give them the antidote, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough to end this. He couldn’t answer her; he couldn’t betray his people’s secrets.

He watched as Octavia paced the floor. Her eyes still showed her pain, her guilt. He wished that he could change that, but he knew he would never have that chance. A loud clatter drew his attention back to Bellamy, who now paced angrily across the floor. “If that doesn’t work, maybe this will.” Lincoln looked at his hand, which now held a metal spike in place of the makeshift whip. As Bellamy moved towards his hand, Lincoln returned his attention to Octavia. He watched as she rung her hands in despair, looking back at him. “Last chance,” he heard Bellamy say, but he still refused to respond.

The spike tore through his hand easily, and Lincoln was blinded by the pain. His hand trembled, and his feet fell out beneath him. He failed to keep silent, a soft moan escaped from his mouth as he tried to gain his control again. His arm burned, and his entire body shook from the pain.

As Lincoln slowed his breathing, trying to focus on something other than the pain, the same voice called up again. She climbed up the ladder and crossed the room to speak to Clarke. Lincoln felt more than seen her walk in front of him. She ripped wires down from the wall, and the lighting that came from them drew Lincoln’s attention. He tried to back away from it, but was stopped by his restraints. “What are you doing?” Bellamy asked her. She rubbed the wires together, making more lightning shoot from the ends. “I’m showing him something new,” she said and she moved closer. Lincoln looked around, trying to find any way to help himself escape. She pressed the wires to his chest, and Lincoln felt his body catch on fire. All he could feel was burning pain, every inch of him shook from the lightning she pressed to his skin. He screamed, yelling out from the pain that stole his body from him. “Which one is it?” she demanded, “Come on!!”

Again, she placed the wires to his skin, and Lincoln felt the fire burn through his body, shaking him to his core. When she pulled them off, Lincoln collapsed. He couldn’t manage anything more than the sobbing that escaped his lips now. He tried to stand, and looked up to Octavia again. He wanted to find something peaceful to get him through this, and she was the only peace he could hope for.

He watched as she moved forward, holding his knife in her hand. “Enough!” She shouted, ordering the new woman to stand down. Octavia closed in putting herself in front of Lincoln, holding the knife down to her side. Raven moved forward, lifting the wires and speaking, “I’m going to make him talk.” Lincoln felt Octavia press against him as the pain hit. The lightning shot through him again, but he could feel her shaking against him. He fought through the pain, trying to ignore it and focus on her.

The wires were removed again, this time with a bellow. Lincoln looked for Octavia, needing to know that she wasn’t hurt. She pushed herself up, wiping tears from her eyes. “He’s letting Finn die,” Raven cried out, trying to get away from Bellamy. Lincoln continued to stare down at Octavia, who was still shaking from the shock. She looked up at him, and held the now bloodied knife up to him. “You won’t let me die,” she said quietly. Bellamy rushed to her side, trying to find where the blade cut her. Lincoln pulled against the restraints, trying to get free so he could check her for injuries as well. She shrugged off her brother’s attention, reaching for the vials and looking up at Lincoln.

He could see the blood seeping down her arm, and knew that the poisoned blade must have cut her when she fell. She looked up at him, pleading for the answer. “Which one?” she asked, spreading the bottles out in front of her. She pointed to each of them, begging for him to tell her it was the antidote. She kept talking to him, tears flowing down her cheeks now. Lincoln’s resolve crumbled; he couldn’t withhold the antidote from her. She knew that he would do anything to keep her safe. He shook his head when she pointed to one of the bottles, and finally looked at them.

The antidote was on his far left, and his pointed to it with his head. She picked up the vial carefully, holding it up for him to see. “This one? This is it?” she asked. Slowly Lincoln nodded. He saved her life again, but at what cost? She handed the bottle to Clarke who ran to the ladder. Lincoln slumped against the restraints, staring down at Octavia as she wrapped her arm with his discarded shirt. She looked back up at him with a smile touching her lips. “Thank you,” she whispered.

* * *

 

**_Octavia’s POV_ **

Octavia gasped and turned away when her brother pushed the bolt through the Grounder’s palm. Never before did she think he could be capable of such cruelty. She watched as the Grounder shook from the pain. She started pacing again, trying to figure out how to stop this senseless torture. She had hoped that she could talk her brother out of torturing his prisoner, but she found out quickly that her words meant nothing to him.

“What’s taking so long?” Raven called up the ladder again, this time as she climbed up. She rose from the hatch, speaking to Clarke. “He stopped breathing. He started again, but next time he might not.” Clarke looked to the hatch before looking at the prisoner. “He won’t tell us anything.” Everyone watched as Raven looked around the room. “Wanna bet?” she asked before crossing the room. Octavia stepped forward when she neared the wires leading to the roof. Raven grabbed the blue wires and pulled them from the wall. Octavia froze, unsure of what Raven planned to do with them.

Octavia watched in horror as Raven pressed the wires into the Grounder’s chest. The lights faded and flickered as he shook violently. His screams cut through Octavia; he accepted the whipping without as much as a sound. She was shocked by the method Raven was using. Raven screamed at him, begging for the antidote, but he still didn’t answer. Raven pressed the wires to his flesh again, and Octavia couldn’t watch him get tortured any longer. As his screams echoed through the room, Octavia searched for anything to help her. She spotted the poisoned knife, still lying discarded on the floor.

Octavia realized that she could get the answer from him without hurting anyone. She now knew that he would do anything to protect her; she was the reason he was being tortured right now. She would be the reason it stopped. “Enough,” Octavia shouted at Raven. She picked up the blade and moved in front of the Grounder. Raven eyed her warily, and Bellamy tried to pull her away, but Octavia stood firm. She couldn’t allow for this to continue.

“I’m going to make him talk,” Raven said before moving closer. Octavia watched her lift the wires to his side again, and moved against him. She lifted her arms, trying to stop Raven from shocking him again. Octavia suddenly felt like her entire body was burning. She screamed out in pain, and collapsed a moment later when the pain stopped. She sat on her hands and knees, counting her breaths until the shaking stopped. She looked up to see her brother holding Raven to the ground, his knee pressed into her back. “He’s letting Finn die!” Raven yelled out, trying to push Bellamy off of her.

Octavia spotted the blood seeping down her arm, and looked up at the prisoner. “You won’t let me die,” she said, holding up the bloodied knife for him to see. Bellamy rushed to her side, trying to pull on her arms and find where the cut was. Octavia pulled from him and reached for the vials. “Which one?” she asked, looking up at him. He still fought the restraints, but his eyes moved between her arm and the vials. As she pointed to each bottle, she watched his reaction, talking softly the entire time. “Is it this one?” she asked, pointing to one filled with a green herb. Slowly he shook his head. He looked down at the bottles, and pointed to the one on her far right with his head. Octavia smiled and picked up the bottle, “This one? This is it?” He slowly nodded, and Octavia turned to pass the antidote to Clarke.

Octavia reached forward and grabbed the scraps of fabric that were the Grounder’s shirt. She carefully wrapped them around her arm as she looked up at him. “Thank you,” she whispered, hoping he understood her words. Bellamy reached around her, trying to lift her off the floor, but Octavia couldn’t stand anyone touching her right now. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed at him. He flinched at her words, but released her. Octavia looked back up at the Grounder, letting her guilt and relief fall free from her eyes.

* * *

 

“Octavia, you need to let Clarke look at your arm. And you need to take the antidote,” Bellamy urged. He’d been pacing the floor for five minutes, hovering over her as she tried to process everything she witnessed. She couldn’t fathom the control and strength this man, this Grounder, possessed to accept such torture so silently. He didn’t make a sound during the whipping, and still didn’t express his agony until Raven shocked him. He accepted everything they did to him, quietly watching her reaction.

Octavia slowly rose, looking at the Grounder once more before she turned to the hatch. Bellamy followed behind her quietly, wanting to make sure that she went straight to Clarke for the antidote. Octavia climbed down the ladder slowly, keeping her eyes trained below her so she wouldn’t meet the eyes watching from the second level. When she reached the bottom level, Clarke walked over to meet her and guide her to a seat. Thankfully, no one spoke idly while Clarke cleaned and dressed her wound. “This should heal fine, just keep it clean and dry,” Clarke said as she wrapped a clean bandage around her arm. Octavia nodded, looking up from her arm.

Clarke placed the antidote in Octavia’s hand, and waited for her to drink it. Octavia drank the vial dry, wanting to be excused from everyone’s attentions. “The storm has passed, so we can let everyone head out to camp and get everything back in order,” Clarke suggested to Bellamy. He nodded absentmindedly before walking back up the ladder. Octavia headed out the main door, needing to get some fresh air.

The forest seemed eerily quiet when Octavia exited the dropship. She couldn’t hear the sound of birds and other creatures, only the repetitive drip-drip of water falling from the leaves. She walked around the camp, not wanting to leave just yet, but needing to feel the earth beneath her feet. After the crowd emerged from the ship, Octavia slipped back inside. Raven was sitting next to Finn, but they were the only ones in the bottom of the ship. Octavia climbed the ladder, trying to figure out why she was so drawn to this strange man.

She spotted Clarke standing in front of the Grounder, trying to clean the puncture in his hand. He pulled away from her touch, ignoring her statement that she was only helping him. “Hey, let me try,” Octavia said, reaching for the cloth. Clarke shrugged as she handed it over, and moved out of the way. Octavia raised the cloth up to his hand, watching his reaction to her every move. She didn’t want to hurt him, so she moved slowly, gently. She placed her free hand under his to support it, and watched as he slowly opened his hand for her. The torn flesh looked horrible, but Octavia carefully cleaned the blood away from the wound. As she worked, she could feel him watching her.

“I never wanted him to get hurt, Octavia. You have to know that,” Clarke said gently. “I just wanted to save Finn.” Octavia tried not to look at her as she spoke. She continued cleaning his hand as she spoke, “For the record, you didn’t save Finn. That was me. But whatever you want to tell yourself to feel better.” Octavia knelt down to the bucket, rinsing the blood from the cloth. Clarke took the hint and left silently.

Octavia shook her head as she looked at his wounds. “I’m so sorry. You saved my life, and look- look at the thanks that you get. I never wanted any of this to happen to you.” She continued washing his hand, unable to look him in the eye. He moved his hand carefully, and wrapped his fingers around hers. As his thumb rubbed across hers, Octavia looked up at him, confused by the gesture.

He looked deep into her eyes before he spoke, “Thank you.” His voice was harsh and cracked, but it brought joy to Octavia to hear it. She stared at him, shocked by his words, her hands still holding onto his. Miller spoke from the corner, “Hey, did he just speak?” Octavia jumped at his question, and started cleaning the Grounder’s wounds again. “No,” she answered, hoping he wouldn’t press the matter.

“C’mon Octavia, you know your brother doesn’t want you up here. Let’s go.” Octavia looked back up at the Grounder before she dropped the cloth back into the bucket of water. She crossed the room slowly, and looked at the man that saved her once more before descending the ladder.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! I love reading comments from my readers, and it really encourages me to keep writing! I'm working hard the the next few chapters, and I hope you like what I have planned for Octavia and Lincoln!


	12. Chapter 12- Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lincoln is still a prisoner of the Sky People, and Octavia is now banned from seeing him. Her people fear the repercussions of torturing the prisoner, and Bellamy struggles to make a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, a new chapter! I've been busy lately and haven't been able write as much as I wish. I would like to thank my beta adoctoraday for her wonderful help!!

_**Octavia's POV** _

Octavia slipped out of the dropship, and looked in awe at the destruction around the camp. Somehow she had missed seeing the fallen limbs and tangled debris just a short time ago. Octavia spotted Bellamy and Clarke talking as she walked through camp, and moved closer to them. She needed to know what they planned to do with the prisoner. As she neared them, Octavia heard Clarke ask, "What are we going to do with him? We can't keep him locked up forever."

Octavia stopped and hid behind the brush pile when she heard Clarke's question. She wanted to know what they were planning, but she knew it would be difficult to get an honest answer from her brother. "If we let him go, he'll be back, and not alone next time." Octavia was stunned by his words, and by Clarke's acceptance of them. Octavia backed away, moving away from them before they spotted her.

Octavia wandered through camp, her mind racing, worrying over the Grounder's fate. Her feet lead her to her tent, and Octavia looked up, surprised by the damage it sustained. Her tent still stood, but branches peaked through the holes that now scarred it. Octavia sighed and looked around at the rest of the camp. Most of the tents were completely destroyed; support poles were snapped in half, the fabric lifted away from the ground, some caught in the trees high above. Everyone in the camp seemed to be working on their personal dwellings, so Octavia followed suit.

Octavia returned to the ship to gather wire to repair her tent. When she entered, a guard stood, glaring at her from in front of the ladder. "You aren't allowed in here. Bellamy gave orders." She grunted in response, but said nothing. She quickly pulled enough wire free, and left the dropship, frustrated that her brother would ban her from the prisoner completely.

She let her hands strip the wire while her mind wandered. Bellamy wouldn't let her see the Grounder, apparently worried about what she would do. Surely her brother could understand that keeping the man as a prisoner would do them no favors. She needed to speak with him, and somehow convince him to free the prisoner.

When Octavia finished repairing the large tears in the tent, she moved inside to assess the damage. She owned nearly nothing, so Octavia wasn't saddened by the damage caused by the storm. She felt her mind calm as she removed the limbs and debris. Picking up the fur from the ground, she lifted it to her nose. Even wet, the fur still held the now familiar scent. She breathed in the fragrance slowly, before carrying it outside to clean it. She laid it on a small pine, and brushed the dirt from it carefully. When she could see no more improvement, Octavia left it to dry in the breeze. She pulled her bedding from the tent, and placed it near the fur to dry.

When she entered the tent, Octavia spotted the flower, crushed into the muddy ground. She knelt down and carefully lifted the flower, sighing when it crumbled into several pieces. She looked at what remained of the bloom, and wondered what remained for the man that left it for her. She realized then, that she could not sit back and hide while her brother decided the man's fate.

Octavia stormed out of her tent and walked towards the center of camp. Her brother was nowhere to be seen. Jasper and Monty were working near the fire pit, so Octavia decided to question them first. "Have you seen Bellamy?" Jasper looked nervously at Monty before he answered. "We saw him go into the ship earlier, but I can't say that he is still in there." Jasper turned away, fussing over a pile of braches. Octavia looked at him for a moment before turning her attention back to Monty.

"What have you heard? You two are far too nervous." Monty and Jasper both twitched at her question, looking at her warily. "Oh, come on! What is going on?" she demanded of them.

Jasper turned back to her, irritation showing in his eyes. "He's been talking with everyone. Small groups have been going in and out of the ship all day. None of us want that beast staying in the camp! He deserves to be floated for stealing you, and for attacking Finn." Jasper spat at her. Monty kept his eyes fixed on the branch he held in his hands.

Octavia looked up, feeling the gaze of the people around them burning into her. Many people were now watching her reaction, whispering to each other. Octavia turned and headed into the dropship. The ladder now stood unguarded, so Octavia climbed into the second level. When she pushed the hatch open above her, Octavia heard the hushed voices cut-off, silenced. She found the second floor holding about a dozen people gathered on the side. Bellamy stood when her eyes met his. She stood by the ladder, confused by the secret meeting, and by the glares she now received. "Leave us. We can continue this later," Bellamy said, waving his hand at the group around him.

Octavia moved across the room slowly, noticing how the people moved out of her way. She helped herself to the seat next to Bellamy, and waited for him to sit again. He walked to the hatch and closed it before sitting. Octavia studied his face as she waited for him to talk. She could see the guilt in his eyes, and knew that he was struggling to not tell her something.

"Bell, what is going on? No one will talk to me, and no one will tell me what you are up to," she said, looking into his eyes, hoping that her brother wouldn't lie to her now. He ran his hand through his hair, pushing the curls out of his face with a sigh.

"You don't need to worry about it, O. Everything is under control; our people are just scared. They want to know that animal isn't going to get free and kill them." He spoke quietly and carefully, but Octavia could tell that he was sugar-coating the truth for her.

"Don't lie to me. This is about more than whether or not he is secured. Everyone is avoiding me out there! And now you are avoiding me too! Tell me what is happening, please." Octavia grabbed her brother's hands, pleading with him.

"They are scared, and rightly so. Everyone knows what happened up there," he said, pointing above them. "They are worried about the Grounders coming here for him. They're worried about him bringing them here for revenge. And no one can understand why you protected him. Why did you do that, O?"

She sighed, rubbing her fingers across his still bloodied knuckles. "I'm not sure. I feel guilty for all this happening. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me. I followed you out to the pod. Then I was stupid enough to get scared and fall down that ravine. He saved me, Bell. He found me down there, bleeding and in pain. He carried me out of there, and took me back to his home. He put himself at risk to help me. He closed my leg, and cleaned me up. When I woke up, all I could think about was finding you before you got into trouble."

Bellamy sat silently, listening to her tell him about what happened to her. Octavia appreciated his attention. She straightened her back before she continued. "I had to crawl out of a tunnel in the back of the cave because I couldn't get out of the hatch by myself. By the time I finally got out, I was exhausted. I started walking back toward camp, hoping that I could find you before the Grounders found either of us. When I heard Roma's scream, I panicked. I couldn't see her, and I couldn't see what scared her. That _animal_ ," she said, pointing up above them. "He pulled me back and hid me. I would have been killed by the same spearman that killed Roma if he didn't stop me."

She fell silent, wondering how he was able to find her before she crossed paths with his people. "But he tied you up in the cave. How was that helping you?" Bellamy asked.

Octavia thought about his question, reflecting on how many times she had asked herself the same thing. "I'm still trying to figure that out. I thanked him for saving me, and begged him to let me find you and return home safely. He showed no understanding, so I assume he didn't. But when we got back to the cave, he tied me up and left me in there. I panicked again. When he got back, I didn't give him a chance to do anything. I just attacked him." She rubbed her fingers over her wrist, remembering the feel of the chain around them, the fear she felt.

"What did Finn mean about the horn?" she asked her brother.

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm not sure. He said something about it being a warning; a signal for their people about the acid fog. But there wasn't any fog..." Bellamy trailed off, turning to quiet thought instead.

They sat together, enjoying the moment of peace. Octavia leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She missed the days when they didn't have any secrets, when everything was simpler.

* * *

_**Lincoln's POV** _

Clarke returned with one of the guards, who sat nearby, watching, waiting for him to do something. She approached him slowly, holding up the bowl of water and bandages. "I'm just going to clean you up a bit, and then you can eat a little. You've got to be hungry, right?" Lincoln watched as she carefully placed everything on the floor near his feet. She wet one of the cloths before straightening and showing it to him. "This might hurt, but it'll help, I promise."

As she moved closer, reaching out with the cloth to clean the gashes on his side, Lincoln moved away. She jumped at his movement, flinching. She cautiously tried again, but when he moved away from her touch, she seemed to understand. "Okay, you don't want me to treat you right now. How about some water?" She motioned at the guard, who tossed her the water bag. She lifted the bag to his lips, tipping it so the water was nearly spilling out.

Lincoln's throat burned, his body craving the water, but he kept his lips clamped shut. He wouldn't accept anything from them. He knows that they won't free him. He would rather end all of this as quickly as possible; drinking the water would only prolong this.

"Fine," Clarke said, gaining Lincoln's attention again. "I'll be back in a few hours, maybe you will be thirsty then." She turned, handing the water bag back to the guard before she climbed down the ladder. The guard took a long drink from the bag while staring at Lincoln. "Mmmm," he said when he was finished, wiping off his chin. Lincoln's eyes narrowed in on a drop of water left behind and felt his throat turn drier than the desert.

He closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep so he could find a form of escape.

* * *

He managed to sleep for a short time, but he was awakened by the pain in his arms and chest. They burned from supporting his weight while he slept. Apparently his legs gave out on him in his exhausted state, letting all of his weight pull against his arms instead. He stretched his neck, hoping to relieve some of the tension as he looked around the stark room. Lincoln peered around the room, hoping that his curiosity would work as a distraction from his discomfort.

The Sky People had already removed nearly everything that they could from this section of the ship. He could see that there were dozens of seats on this floor at one time; a few of them were still in place near the far wall. Many of the panels on the wall were missing as well, exposing some of the wires. Lincoln shuddered, remembering what it felt like to be touched by those wires.

The pain he had felt when the dark-haired woman pressed the wires against his flesh was worse than he had ever felt. His life as a warrior guaranteed him pain and wounds, and he was accustomed to it; his body bore the scars from arrows and swords. Twenty-seven kills were branded into his shoulder, but even they did not compare to the burn he felt travel through his body from that torture. He wondered if Octavia felt the same pain when she stepped between him and that woman. He remembered feeling her tremble against him before falling to the floor. Her eyes had clearly shown pain, but that could have been explained by the gash in her arm from his poisoned knife.

His thoughts drifted then, wondering how Octavia would be treated after interrupting the interrogation by putting herself at risk. He hoped that her brother wouldn't punish her for her bravery.

Lincoln heard the sound of voices coming from the grate at his feet. He concentrated on listening to their words, more out of habit than care. He knew that the people would demand answers and action, but he did not expect to listen to their opinions. The meeting carried on, new voices appeared to make their thoughts known, and some stayed to attempt to persuade the judgment. He was amazed at their level of interaction, everyone being given the chance to speak on important matters never happened in his village. His people's leaders were expected to make wise decisions, not to cater to the people's wishes.

Lincoln continued listening to the voices below, trying to figure out what the word "floated" meant. Most of the people demanded that the criminal be floated for his crime, and Lincoln could only assume it was their version of an execution. They seemed frightened of him, and of his people. "He's an animal." "That savage is going to kill us for this." "His people will come after him; they will kill us for what you did to him." No one wanted to release him; some wanted revenge for the death of their friends, but many more were worried about retaliation from his people.

Their fear was well placed. His people were a violent breed, trained from birth to fight and kill; a necessity in this world. They were a cold group of people; they found it easier to be callous when so many of their people were taken by the Mountain. The Mountain Men had a way of changing their people, turning a friend into a monster, an enemy. Many more of their people never returned from the Mountain. When the Reapers attacked, countless would be taken as prisoners, lost to the Mountain forever.

His Commander would likely order retaliation hostilities for the village that was destroyed, but she would never start a war over one soul being taken hostage. Anya would notice his disappearance, but she would never suspect that the Sky People were responsible. If she found out that he was taken prisoner because he helped one of them, his punishment at her hands would be far greater than what he suffered here.

He was drawn once more from his thoughts when the conversation turned to Octavia's actions. They questioned Bellamy, wanting to know if she really tried to stop the interrogation. They continued, "How could she try to save him?" "He nearly killed her!" "Will she try to free him?" "Is she going to protect him again?" Bellamy tried to calm them, promising that she wouldn't free him. He continued talking, "The prisoner is secure; he's not going anywhere. The only people allowed on that level are me, Clarke, and a few members of the guard. I promise that we will keep you all safe from him."

Lincoln couldn't help but admire the man for how he communicated with his people. He seemed to know what to say and when to say it, but more importantly, he knew when to listen. The hum of voices stopped suddenly. He could feel the tension wafting up as Bellamy spoke once more, dismissing everyone. The people left quietly and quickly, an eerie silence filling their place. Lincoln recognized her voice when she finally spoke. She questioned her brother, wanting to know what everyone was being so secretive about. They were treating her like a pariah, and she seemed angry about it.

Lincoln paid close attention to her words as she described what happened to her brother. She blamed herself for everything that had happened, and told her brother so in a passionate tone. His heart warmed as he listened to her, she understood that he was only trying to help her. She continued talking; walking her brother through all of the events, trying to convince him that he never meant any harm. Finally, the siblings fell silent. Lincoln strained to listen for any movement from below, but eventually he gave up.

Her brother had appeared shortly after his talk with Octavia. He sat on the floor in front of him, silently staring at him. Lincoln waited for him to take action, expecting him to continue his punishment, but nothing happened. Lincoln returned the stare for a while, wondering what the man was thinking, why he didn't do anything. Finally Lincoln gave up; hoping sleep could remove him from this prison.

* * *

_**Octavia's POV** _

Octavia woke a few hours later, finding herself alone on the ship. She stretched out in the seat, still feeling the fatigue in her bones. She looked down the hatch, and couldn't find anyone standing around on the bottom level. Octavia climbed up the ladder to the third floor, and banged on the hatch door when she discovered that it wouldn't move.

"Who is it?" a voice called down.

"Open up!" she demanded, hoping that Bellamy would allow her to see his prisoner. Miller lifted the hatch carefully, but he refused to open it enough for her to pass. "Miller, get out of my way and let me up," she asked, nicer this time. Miller looked at someone in the room before he finally moved out of her way. Octavia climbed through the hatch and found her brother sitting in front of the Grounder.

"You're not allowed to visit him Octavia," he said somberly.

"Allowed? Do I need your permission now?" She pressed, trying to make him change his mind. She glanced at the grounder, who was slumped again the restraints, apparently sleeping. She returned her eyes to her brother, who still sat, looking at the floor beneath his feet.

"In this you do. I can't let you up here. Our people want me to kill him and get it over with."

Octavia gasped, "No you can't do that! He hasn't done anything, you can't." She knelt in front of him, trying to gauge his mood.

"I don't plan on it. I don't want to kill him, anyone," he answered, his shoulders hung in defeat.

"Bell, what are you thinking? You can't keep him tied up like that forever," she said, gesturing to the bloodied prisoner.

Bellamy followed her gaze, and nodded. "I know, but I don't have any other option right now. Our people want his blood. They want revenge for everything he and his people have done to us. Diggs and Roma died trying to find you, and Murphy just disappeared; there is no telling what they did to him…"

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. If I didn't fall down that bank, none of this would be happening."

"You didn't do anything. They did," Miller spoke from the other side of the room. Octavia shuddered at the venom in his voice, and the hatred in his eyes. She looked back at her brother, who did not look pleased at the man's input.

"Would you check my tent for me, sis? I haven't had the time to see how bad the storm hit it, and I would really like to sleep tonight." He smiled down at her, waiting on her reply.

Octavia stood, knowing he wanted her to leave for more reasons than he said. "Sure, no problem, but don't expect my help the next time a hurricane hits." She heard his chuckle as she walked back toward the ladder.

* * *

Octavia moved through the camp as quickly as she could. Most of the people didn't seem to notice her walking through the camp this time, and for that she was glad. Bellamy's tent appeared to have fared better than hers; there was only one large tear in the back of it. She retrieved the extra wire from in her tent, and started repairing the tear first. The simple task helped to calm her mind, and soon she was humming a tune as she sewed.

When she was finished with the outside of the tent, Octavia ventured inside to air out and dry Bellamy's possessions. She picked up his bedding first, which was heaped together on the side closest to her tent. She placed the cushions next to her own and hung the parachute up on a branch to dry. After checking her own cushions and fur, Octavia decided to return her items safely in her tent.

Octavia went back into Bellamy's tent and started gathering the brush and braches that were scattered across the floor. She tossed them in front of the entrance, planning to add them to the center pile in the camp after she was finished. His extra shirts were dry, so Octavia folded them neatly and placed them on a dry, packed section of the floor. She scanned the area, wondering how he came to possess extra weapons and bags. Shaking her head, she tossed the spears and knives into a pile near the entrance. She gathered the 3 remaining bags and sat in the middle of the floor to check on the contents.

_One of these is not like the others_ , she thought sarcastically. A small bag made out of leather seemed familiar, but she knew that she hadn't seen her brother with it before. Most of the furs that the hunters managed to properly skin were being tanned and stored for winter, so how did he get a leather bag? She opened the bag and looked inside cautiously. She found only a few objects in the bag; a tin of vials, a worn compass, and a leather book. She pulled the book out and examined it first. The pages were tattered on the edges, and the leather was soft, showing its age and use. She untied the leather strip and opened the book, wondering what it contained.

She let the pages flutter open at their own will, and gasped at what she saw. A landscape was drawn with amazing detail, mountains rolling out in the distance. She stared at the image, amazed by the talent. She turned the page carefully, afraid that she would mare the drawing. Next she saw a group of deer feeding in a meadow. She continued turning pages, looking at detailed drawings of animals and people, and hurried illustrations of landmarks. She was fascinated by the foreign images and ideas the book held, and couldn't help but wonder if she would ever experience the world contained in those pages.

Octavia carefully closed the book and tied the cord once more before standing. She lifted up the bag and carefully placed the book back inside, and set it near the entrance. She quickly checked on the contents of the other two bags before moving to her own tent. She moved the cushions back to their proper placed and slid the bag underneath, hiding it from any prying eyes. She wanted to look at the book again, and learn everything she could about its artist and his world. After rubbing the fur to ensure it was dry, Octavia placed it on her bed and exited back out to the camp.

She was knelt down, picking up the braches and debris around their tents, when Bellamy appeared. "Here, let me help," he said, claiming the pile near his tent. "Thanks," she said quietly, still lost in thought. They walked silently to the middle of camp, and deposited their load into the wood pile for the communal fire pit. Octavia looked at the others gathered around the fire, and was relieved to notice that no one was staring at her. Everyone seemed relaxed after spending the day working in the camp. They still had a lot of work to do, but everyone would sleep easily tonight.

Bellamy suddenly appeared at her side offering food, Octavia hadn't even noticed his absence. They sat with Clarke near the ship, listening to her update on Finn. "He's doing a lot better tonight. He's been complaining for food all day, and telling Raven that I'm starving him with the nutritional pills," she smiled. "As long as he doesn't develop a fever tonight, I'm going to let him move back out to his tent and start eating fresh food again tomorrow."

Octavia nodded in response, but didn't speak as her thoughts were drawn to the prisoner again. She doubted that the guards were making sure he was fed and watered, and began to worry about him. "Has he eaten?" she asked, looking at Bellamy.

He shared a cautious look with Clarke before he answered. "No. He won't accept anything from us, and he won't let Clarke tend to his wounds." Octavia looked to Clarke, who confirmed his statement with a nod.

"Are you going to let me try, or are you going to let him die up there?" she asked plainly. She hoped her brother would see reason, but she was worried that his stubbornness would prevent it.

"O, I don't trust him. I don't want you to be up there with him right now. When he gets hungry he will eat, it'll just take time," he said, using his big brother voice.

Octavia rolled her eyes at him before passing him the rest of her food. "I'm exhausted, so if I'm not needed, I'm going to bed." She turned away from them before he had a chance to say anything in reply.

She went straight to her tent, needing to be alone, away from the people that thought her strange to have sympathy for the prisoner. She took her pants off before sitting on the bed, and rubbed the injury on her leg. She managed to forget about the pain today, but it was reminding her of its existence now that she was resting. She laid down on her side, trying to alleviate the burning pain in her leg, and the worry on her mind. After pulling the fur over herself, Octavia fell asleep.

* * *

She woke feeling oddly peaceful; her dreams were more comforting than they had been in a long time. She remembered a feeling of warmth, but could not remember what her dreams were about. Octavia stretched before lifting the fur off of her. As her hand brushed the fur, she remembered everything she had witnessed the day before. The guilt quickly returned, compounded by the fact that she forgot about her savior being held captive in the dropship. She dressed quickly and stormed out of the tent, determined to see the prisoner.

She passed Jasper and Monty, who were preparing to join the others that would be gathering food for their stores. She glanced up at them, the hair rising on the back of her neck when she saw Jasper's expression. His eyes were cold and accusatory. She quickly looked away, not wanting to know the reason for his anger.

Octavia entered the dropship, and spotted Clarke sitting with Finn. She crossed and greeted him first, "Hey Spacewalker, how are you feeling?"

He smiled at her, and she was relieved to see that the color had returned to his cheeks. "I'll live, but I'm pretty sure I'll think twice about joining a rescue mission again."

Octavia smiled back at him, "Thank you, Finn. I'm glad that you're feeling better." She nodded to Clarke before turning away from the pair. She climbed up the ladder, hoping her brother would allow her to see his prisoner. Bellamy was sitting on the second level, speaking quietly with Miller and Drew. When they noticed her, Miller and Drew mumbled something to Bellamy, and rose to leave. They nodded politely to her before descending the ladder.

"So Finn is feeling better," Octavia said, hoping to break the awkward silence. Bellamy ran his hands up and down his legs nervously before standing.

"Yeah, I spoke with him earlier. Miller and Drew are going to help Clarke get him settled back into his tent." Octavia watched as he paced around the floor.

"What's up, Bell?" she asked, trying to sound more friendly than she felt.

"It's nothing you should be worried about," he answered shortly, not breaking his movements.

"Would you stop that and talk to me?" she snapped, drawing his attention. He looked at her, his expression difficult to read.

"I don't want to argue about him again!" he shouted.

"And I don't want him to die just because he saved my life! This is ridiculous, Bellamy. You know that, right?"

He turned away from her, not wanting to look into her eyes as he spoke. "What I know is that we lost _our people_ because he captured you. I found you cowering in the shadows of his cave. His people were determined to kill all of us because we came to find you. I can't just forgive that!"

She could feel her anger building up as he spoke. She took a deep breath, pushing her emotions down, hoping she would be able to speak calmly. "You can't hold him responsible for his people's actions."

"I must. Our people are holding him responsible for it, and so am I. I can't overlook everything we lost because of him."

"But-" she started, but he cut her words short.

"No, Octavia, I'm not going to keep talking about this. You're not going to change my mind. You aren't going anywhere near him!" He told her firmly. He turned her around and pointed to the ladder, "Now get out of here!"

She walked forward, shocked by his treatment. Her brother never treated her like this when they were on the Arc. He changed a lot since she was discovered on the Arc, and she could barely recognize him now.

* * *

Octavia slipped through the camp early the next morning, moving with determination so no one would ask why she wasn't helping with the clean-up. She'd spent most of the night awake in her tent, trying to find a way to get the prisoner out of camp before her brother decided he should be put down. He was still convinced that the man would cause them harm. She was now sitting in the dropship, waiting on her brother to come down from the upper level. All of the guards had been given orders to keep her away from the prisoner, so this was as close as they would let her get.

Bellamy finally climbed down the ladder, but sighed when he saw her, "Why are you here?" She stood before answering, "I'm waiting for you to let me up there to see him."

"Get comfortable then," he replied coarsely. He started toward the door, but stopped. "I'm letting him live, isn't that enough?" he asked.

"He saved my life, Bell. How many times do I have to tell you for you to believe me?" she said, but he would meet her eyes.

"I know you see it that way, but-"

"No, that's the way it is. I'm not talking about how you found me in the cave. The third day we were down here, I snuck out of camp and went to the river." He balked at her, but she ignored him and continued. "After I got in the water, I laid back to enjoy the water. I hadn't even cleaned myself when some horrid monster swam up and bit me. It drug me down to the bottom of the river and held me there. I nearly drowned, but that man-" she pointed above them, "He saved me. He jumped in and attacked the beast, and pulled me out of the river." Octavia got quieter as she spoke, remembering her fear and confusion that day.

Bellamy stared at her, shocked by her confession, and confused by her reaction to it. He shook the thoughts from his head, refusing think about them right now. "He's still dangerous."

Octavia laughed at his remark, "How dangerous can he be when he's tied up and has a hole in his hand?"

Bellamy looked down at her with an angry expression. "Whatever twisted connection that you think you have with that animal, forget it. You don't get to see him, end of discussion." He moved toward the door, but Clarke's appearance prevented either of them from speaking about it further.

Octavia returned to her seat at the bottom of the ladder, pretending to pout and ignore their conversation. She listened to them as well as she could, but she could only hear broken parts of the conversation. Apparently Clarke was travelling toward some supply depot, and she wanted Bellamy to join her. Octavia would be glad for their absence; she could use it to her advantage since the guards normally relaxed when Bellamy was gone. With both leaders of the camp gone, Octavia knew she stood a much better chance of getting up to see the Grounder. She would be able to find a way around the people in camp who might try to stop her, and she was going to help the man, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I would love to hear what you think about the story so far, so please leave me a review! I am working on a lot right now so it will continue to be a few weeks between chapters, but I will be getting them out as soon as I can!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I have a lot of ideas running through my mind for how this story will progress. I would appreciate any comments on this story!  
> I am posting this on Fanfiction.net as well. I should be updating both sites at the same time.


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